


Creature of the Poltergust G-00

by Karatecake



Category: Luigi's Mansion (Video Games)
Genre: Anal Sex, Awkward Flirting, Awkwardness, Goo stuff, Good thing polterpup and Gooigi are there to help, Gooigi can't hold a conversation, Gooigi vibrates owo, Hurt/Comfort, Inhuman romance, Kidnapping, M/M, Masturbation, Oral Sex, Poor Luigi can't catch a break, Sentient Goo, Sex Toys, Slow Burn, The goo learns to feel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-01-22 17:11:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 53,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21305624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karatecake/pseuds/Karatecake
Summary: Gooigi was not created to be a sentient being; he was made to serve as a ghost hunting tool. So when he starts to experience complex feeling like loneliness, contentment, and desire, he's not exactly sure how to react. Especially when these feelings are directed towards the man he was literally modeled after. It sure is a good thing Luigi is nice enough to let him live with him and help him learn how to function in a homely environment where they can eat together, read together, walk Polterpup together... oh boy.Just finished Luigi's Mansion 3 and i'm absolutely in love with how expressive Luigi is and how awkward Gooigi is. I noticed there were no fics about these two so I thought I could fill the void. I think I might be the only one that like his pairing but for the 6 people out there who also do, this is for you.
Relationships: Luigi/Gooigi
Comments: 341
Kudos: 751





	1. Introductions

The first thing he remembers, truly remembers, is music. The distant honk of an instrument he had no name for ringing throughout the lab. Its reverberations rattling the metal table he had been dumped onto unceremoniously. It didn’t even have a melody or tempo; it was just noise. None the less, he felt a sense of… curiosity? Yes, curiosity. He felt a sense of curiosity towards the noise and simply followed wherever it led. He and his split bioforms had fallen from the table and slithered on the ground; they followed the sound for as long as it would play. Music was so different from the chittering speak of the scientist who created him. Unlike speech, it was a meaningless sound. Yet, he couldn’t stop that it moved his meager consciousness in a way he could only assume humans felt too. The scientist, who had been the source of the noise, had him following behind while he honked his horn for hours. Now, he thinks, it was pretty degrading to crawl on the floor just for another second of that sound. However, it was forgivable for a simple minded being such as himself before… well… before things got complicated.

-

It was _jarring_, to say the least, finally meeting the man he was created to serve. Nothing could compare him for the first confrontation of his namesake. Not even the hours of E. Gadd showing him picture after picture of the man to prepare him for his life as a ghost hunting tool. He wasn’t nervous, no, he didn’t have the nerves necessary to be rattled, but it was a bit… awkward? Yes, awkward, being placed in front of someone you’ve literally been modeled after.

Luigi was much more erratic than he was led to believe. Now, that could be from the current circumstances. A ghost infested hotel wasn’t the best place for an introduction. The man’s nervous ticks shook his body; his feet never settling in a single place. Gooigi could practically smell the fear pouring from the green plumber. He watched the man putter around the miniature lab while listening to E. Gadd’s speech and began cataloging his movements. His training taught him that imitation was key to success in these instances. Imitation got him the best results before the mini scientist gave him a form. Imitation got him less stress tests on his durability by mimicking the properties of a fallen jello cup. Imitation kept him in E. Gadd’s good graces, so he began to shuffle in place to match Luigi’s unrest. The action did not go unnoticed, as Luigi stopped his panicked pacing to keep a skeptical eye on the green copy.

“Gooigi will be a wonderful asset for you, he’s gone through some extensive testing that will make him essential on your journey.” E. Gadd prattled as he pushed Luigi to the door. “Come, lets see how you two work together, shall we?”

-

The cage was… _new_. It was hard for the dispassionate blob not to feel pity for Luigi’s confused and betrayed cries from inside the cage. E. Gadd assured him it was temporary, _if_ he could work with Gooigi well enough.

Gooigi had long since resigned himself to E. Gadd’s little consciousness transference device the day some of his matter had hardened over the scientist’s face. He never knew what to do in the situations the scientist placed him in so he simply stood there and observed. Sometimes he would play back phrases he remembered when prompted, but overall, he would stand and watch. E. Gadd’s invention made it so whatever you would call his consciousness would be pushed down and the user of the invention would take control of his body. Of course, Gooigi wasn’t actually being suppressed, at any moment he could gain back control. The little EMP device in his mass was easy to tamper with. But the less E. Gadd knew about his intelligence the better.

The first time Luigi entered into his form it had been a shock to both of them. He’d never been so close to an emotional being before. Feelings of pride and excitement were normal when he was tested with E. Gadd, but this cocktail of emotion was-was… _overwhelming_. His fear, his doubt, his pain, his worry, his elation, he’d done it, he’s controlling Gooigi, he’s gonna get out of this cage. Oh, it was too much. But in some ways, it wasn’t enough.

Being released from the control had been equally as jarring, the sudden stop of feedback to his limbs had him wobbling forward and back as he ran an internal diagnostic check with his Goo. He hadn’t noticed Luigi running over in excitement and raising his hand towards the goo man. Gooigi turned and starred at the hand, confused. He’d never been introduced to this social mannerism before, he wasn’t sure how to respond so he mimicked. He raised his hand to the same specifics of Luigi, same angle and weight distribution, a perfect mimic. This seemed to please Luigi as his hand shot out quickly and slapped Gooigi’s raised hand. A ripple went down the goo’s body as his confusion rose. Apparently, the motion was finished as Luigi began moving around him to investigate him further. It took a second for him to lower his hand; he filed this new move away for later, it seemed to be something his new… owner? Master? Co-worker? Who knows…was fond of doing after a victory.

“See, I knew you two would get along well. It’s an interesting invention, is it not? He’s made completely of ghost essence and, uh, well, a splash of coffee. He’s quite durable and can fit perfectly though grates so he’ll be perfect for squeezing into tight spaces.”

Luigi finished his initial roundabout, a thoughtful look on his face.

“Coffee? Why coffee?”

Gooigi perked up at the new voice, he’d only ever heard two in his existence. It wasn’t deep, but it had a jubilance to it. A bit rough, like he had been screaming recently, but a subtle softness below the grit.

E. Gadd had the audacity to look sheepish. “Why, uh, _flavor_ of course!” _Liar _“Are you hungry, Luigi? I’m sure Gooigi will be more than happy to- “ 

Luigi flushed and began to stutter. “N-no, no, no need for that I was just a curious.”

Luigi turned away from the scientist in an attempt to save face. He stepped closer to the goo man and began poking at his form. His gloves stuck in a few places from the humidity in the air, but Gooigi’s body always bounced back. Was this a new mannerism? It was hard to tell; Luigi had on an inquisitive face, but the stare of E. Gadd had him moving his arm towards the plumber. Luigi looked shocked as Gooigi poked the tip of his nose before pulling back. It wobbled a bit, similarly to Gooigi’s body, before stopping. He’d never touched someone before, he had always been the one touched and it was always by gloves. Skin was… Soft? What was “soft”? Soft was… Luigi. Luigi was soft, yes, that’s what soft was. Skin was soft. Gooigi liked soft.

Luigi blinked in surprise at the poke. He paused for a second, before a soft smile stretched his lips. His eyes crinkled and his cheeks rose as a soft laugh escaped his throat. A… giggle, If he remembered correctly. Luigi had giggled.

“He stills needs a lot of work; you know. This is a wonderful opportunity to teach Gooigi some new tricks.”

Luigi turned away from the blob, smile still gracing his features.

“I’m sure he’ll be a great student.”

Gooigi begins to think soft isn’t the only thing he liked.


	2. Familiarity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luigi and Gooigi get more familiar while Gooigi remembers the past.

The first real test E. Gadd had conducted on him was the color test. Well, E. Gadd had called it a color test anyway. In reality, he had assumed the blob had no way of perceiving a color other than green. While he was tinted green all across his form, Gooigi could see plenty of color. From the deep red of E. Gadd’s smoking jacket to the bright blues of sky that peeked through the closed sky light. Color was something Gooigi greatly enjoyed in his sheltered life.

The test, in all actuality, was a facial recognition test. The scientist tried to hide this by having all the subjects he placed in front of the blob wear a different color. The most prominent being a picture of Luigi. Half turned towards the camera, a shy smile on his face; his green hat the second brightest object in the photograph. The two other photos were of a man in a red hat and a mushroom creature with yellow dots on its head. At this point, Gooigi had been in his newest form for about a week and had been introduced to lots of information on his namesake. He had been trained to find Luigi’s face in every piece of media he was shown. It was to remind him of who he needed to emulate to be a proper ghost hunter.

But why the other faces? He assumed E. Gadd was trying to challenge his ability to differentiate faces; trying to see how intelligent he really was. It was what made crows such interesting birds; their ability to tell the difference between humans who treated them well versus poorly. It wasn’t necessary for him to understand faces like crows and that’s what made him dangerous. E. Gadd had been much more wary of him since he’d gotten some of his bioform hardened on the scientist’s face. The man was beginning to understand the kind of monster he could create if he did not monitor it well enough. It’s why the scientist called it a ‘color test’. Something harmless in name, but perilous in practice. If he picked any color other than what was expected, he would out himself as more than meets the eye. More than just a digital copy of a man’s ghost hunting instincts programmed into a jello mold of goo.

Something sentient.

“Simply point to any picture on the table, Gooigi, that’s all we’re doing today.”

Gooigi pointed to the picture of Luigi once prompted. Then another. And another. And then 6 more before E. Gadd dropped in pictures of fruits and vegetation. Every set of three pictures contained something he could safely choose, whether it was the stem of a bundle of grapes or the leaves on a tree in the background.

Every time he would pick green.

E. Gadd seemed… unsatisfied by the test. There was a high chance that the scientist called his bluff; that he knew Gooigi was faking it, but he showed no signs of recognition of this fact. So Gooigi relaxed.

E. Gadd would try this color test again a few days later in hopes he would show more signs of intricacies the man could test on further. But Gooigi remained firm in his ignorance.

-

The hotel was a much more daunting place then he had imagined. Ghosts never really bothered him all that much, but they harassed his carrier constantly. The poor man never got a break from the barrage of abuse. When Gooigi was released from his tank, they were always ready to stop him once they sensed Luigi’s mind in his body. The amount of water being dumped on him was just absurd. Not to mention the constant shaking of the Poltergust from Luigi’s fearful shivering. Every creak and groan had the Italian man jumping out of his skin and jostling the vacuum with it.

In his compressed form inside his tank, it was easier to experience the world around him. Being procedurally molded into a shape was so tiring, he didn’t know how humans could do it for so long. And every day too! He could take in his surrounds quite well as Luigi carried him around the building. His body, being so well tuned with the specters around him, gave a gentle vibration every time a ghost was near. He amplified these vibrations a bit so Luigi could feel it through the metal separating him from Luigi’s back.

At first, the plumber assumed he was distressed. Taking off the Poltergust and opening his compartment to check on him. His head popping out from the opening and letting off a sound of confusion. The man cocked his head and spoke a soft “Are you alright?” Gooigi had never been asked such a thing. He had always been disregarded in his feelings, not that anyone knew he had any anyway. It was… touching that the man was worried about him. However, if anything, Gooigi should be more worried about Luigi. Even while quaking in fear, the man was still worried about the wellbeing of others. It’s one of the things Gooigi noticed was different from E. Gadd. The scientist was so ready to abandon his container in the hotel just to escape while Luigi willingly stayed to save his companions. He had assumed all humans were selfish in this way but leave it to his controller to defy expectations.

Gooigi would shake his head in refutation before looking towards an approaching specter. Which led Luigi to shout in surprise before fumbling the contraption back on his back and pulling the flashlight from its holster.

It took a few more times before Luigi became in tune with the goo’s tells. This became even more helpful when the Boo’s ghost energy resonated with his form much more violently. Subtle vibrations became large shudders the closer to a Boo they came. The uncontrollable shuddering his body did drained Gooigi in a way he couldn’t exactly describe. The relief Gooigi felt when the ghost was dispatched was palpable as his form relaxed into his tank. These moments were little pleasures to the goop as he pushed into the edge of his tank closest to Luigi’s back; the heat from the human’s body seeping into the machine. Gooigi was jealous of humans for this, for the comforting heat they produced. The closest thing to heat he got was a torch during one of the many stress tests he underwent. The scalding flames licking at his membrane, boiling, smoking, and melting his form all at once. Pain was something he did not know for sure, but instant he believed he felt it. But this… this was nice, no… better than nice. What was better than nice?... _lovely. _Lovely was much better of a word than nice. It encapsulated what he felt In those moments. Those moments where Luigi would ‘high five’ him after a victorious capture. Where they communicated successfully. Where Gooigi felt as though he was being useful in a way other than the use of a tool. These moments had the hive mind esque mess that was his consciousness humming together a sweet song he’d never heard before.

He doesn’t think he can go back to E. Gadd after this.

-

Luigi hummed when he was nervous. A sound that thrummed from Luigi’s throat to denote his discomfort. Unlike the music he’d heard before, this was much different. It was like a theme; one that Gooigi could feel resonating through the Poltergust and into his tank. The plumber had been humming for the past 2 floors as he got used to the expanse of the building, but it stopped once they entered the main area of floor 3.

The mall cop ghost was as pathetic as they got, he wasn’t even sure how he counted as a boss ghost on the floor. It was harmless enough to the both of them actually. Luigi didn’t seem to be afraid of the bumbling ghost as he did the underlings. Sadly, even though the ghost of pathetic, it was efficient. The gates to each store was locked up tight, which meant Gooigi was necessary for completing the task.

Luigi pressed the tanks activation button and the bottom slid open. Gooigi slithered onto the floor before springing up into his human visage. He stood there, waiting for Luigi to turn on the device to enter his conscious. The man’s face transitioned into an inquisitive look before standing to the goo’s side. He held his vacuum nozzle out towards one of two fans above a shop before clicking the activation button. Once inside Gooigi, he positioned the blob into the same stance.

He sat back as Luigi positioned him, waiting for the man to finish the puzzle and call him back into the tank. The man immediately returned to his form and looked expectantly at his copy. Clicking on the suction, he watched carefully for what the blob would do next. Gooigi felt… petrified in a way he wasn’t used to. He was being expected to do something the consciousness transference had been designed to do for him. The last time he used his nozzle on his own it had been disastrous.

“Come on, you can do it.” He encouraged.

Though he couldn’t see it, Gooigi’s gaze lowered to the vacuum in his hands. He knew the motions, he knew the steps, but his fingers wouldn’t move to the switch. He didn’t even need to use the switch, the switch was himself, but the months of training he’d been subjected to forbade him to move. His collective knew he could, but his body wouldn’t obey.

Luigi stepped over to the blob and placed a hand on his wrist. He moved the gooey arm up and onto the handle, placing his finger onto the button.

“It’s alright, take your time.”

He began to shake a bit. This is not how this is supposed to go. The plumber was supposed to take control of him and carry out the task. He was a controllable substance, something created for the sole purpose of being an instrument of paranormal recollection. Gooigi wasn’t a real-

“I know you can do it.”

Its funny how such few words could flip a switch inside the Ectomorph’s consciousness. Like instinct, his thumb applied a light force to the switch. The vacuum sprung to life and began sucking the second fan he’d been positioned in front of.

“Ho yeah!” Gooigi jumped, turning off his vacuum, at Luigi’s loud exclamation. A bright smile on his face, he raised his arm for a high five. “Now that’s what I’m talking about! Good job!”

Gooigi cocked his head, bringing his arm back and partaking in the high five. His Poltergust handle and nozzle seamlessly returning to his body. The blob turned towards the now opened barbershop and took a tentative step forward. For a moment his gaze flickered back to Luigi, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting for him to call E. Gadd and report his findings. Instead, the plumber stood shaking gently with a sweet smile on his face; blue eyes seemingly piercing into Gooigi’s soul. Gooigi shuddered, masking the motion by turning and walking through the bars.

Luigi didn’t have to go through this alone anymore, he would make sure of it.


	3. Dreams and Self Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gooigi doesn't like how fragile Luigi is and makes mistakes because of it.

Gooigi did not dream, at least not in the way humans do. There was no grand adventure his mind would go on to process the stimulus of the day because he, in a sense, had no mind. His body was composed of ‘him’ with ‘him’ being who he was, all he knew, and what he had learned. When he would rest in his tank after a long day, instead of dreaming, he would have these… conversations with himself. A small chat about what interested the proverbial peanut gallery that day. These conversations produced a very gentle hum throughout his ectoplasm so benign it was impossible to feel or hear.

He only figured this out after E. Gadd began his thesis on whether or not the goo could actually dream. Gooigi had been sealed inside his tank with EKG pads placed along the glass and metal underside. Through the night his psyche continued its song and dance; the gentle hum barely perceivable on the edge of his endoplasm. He had long since learned not to fight his instincts in front of E. Gadd. His human empathy able to zero in on micro mistakes the goo could never understand he was making.

The observation lasted 3 days and the results were inconclusive. Without missing a beat, E. Gadd marked him down as oneirologically incompatible and called it a day. It’s not like Gooigi knew everything about himself, he was an experiment after all, so it was satisfying to have knowledge that the scientist will never have access to.

Dreams became something he thought about often after that. Such an unimportant function should not be placed on a pedestal so high it was tested in other species. There was probably something he was missing. Perhaps an emotional connection to the wild mindscape humans had access to.

What would it be like to dream of something or _someone_?

…

Most likely, he would never know.

-

First King MacFrights, then the gardener and his flora, and now a colossal Tyrannosaurus Rex. The things trying to kill Luigi in this hotel were getting more and more ridiculous as the night wore on. The occasional spear through the head or submerging in water meant nothing to the goo. Sure, it hurt—he thinks—but death was not something that could find him easily. Luigi however… Luigi was a whole different situation.

Just how like Ectoplasm wasn’t rigid enough to halt danger from passing through him, Gooigi quickly realized _soft _was no where near strong enough to stop the harbingers of death constantly being tossed, slammed, and thrown at the human. Gooigi could survive being crushed a thousand times, but all it took was one wrong misstep for it all to be over for the plumber. Couple this with Gooigi’s frustration at not being useful during those perilous moments made for times when Gooigi got a little too reckless.

-

Perhaps throwing himself into a bone monsters’ mouth was not the best idea.

Teeth were a whole new area of sensation; the sharp enamel puncturing through his membrane, spilling goo into the grooves and nooks of the long dead beast’s mouth. Gooigi felt himself be torn apart, his consciousness spreading away. With his center ripped apart, he couldn’t decide what to do without conflicting with himself. He could hear Luigi’s panicked cries as the T-Rex continued to chew away at the last solid areas of the goo’s body. It was instinct to push the man out of the way of the giant’s mouth. One hit, he reminded himself, one hit was all it took for something so soft.

The T-Rex was chewing through his body too fast; he wouldn’t be able to reform and do it again if Luigi failed to immobilize it before he fell. In a moment of consequence, he felt his collective communicate into contracting his form. The goo tightening around the monster’s teeth and forcing it to become more distracted in its attempts to remove him.

Gooigi hadn’t pushed himself this hard before, he could feel himself becoming lost. The teeth slipped in some areas and succeeded in puncturing others. The more he was separated the less he could feel himself. An unfamiliar darkness began to creep around his split vision; his minds murmur going quiet. A kaleidoscope of images filled his vision like a cracked mirror. Luigi’s form running, the monster’s dead eye sockets spinning to follow, another gnash of its teeth into his body.

Gooigi had been so sure death wouldn’t be able to find him.

Perhaps he was wrong.

Just as his grip began to slip, the T-Rex’s jaw was slammed with a rock-hard egg. Gooigi slipped through its relaxed grip and slapped onto the tile below.

He had no strength to even take his programmed shape, he just laid in a puddle. The darkness had not retreated, in fact, it had been accompanied by a warbled ringing that silenced the sound of fighting around him. His consciousness was no longer humming. He couldn’t move. The silence of his mind, the stillness of his body, the blindness, and finally, the slowly creeping silence. The steps of human unconsciousness. Was dreaming supposed to be this… _scary_?

Finally, the noise around him stopped. Oh boy, that wasn’t good was it.

He began to float. The last time he felt this kind of lack of, well, _anything_ was before he was created. A faint memory of nothingness before being launched into reality. He was being returned to the nothingness and there was nothing he could do.

Faintly, he could feel a rhythmic tapping from in front of him. Well, he assumed it was his front, he wasn’t sure anymore. The tapping grew heavier as it got closer. It was accompanied by the thump of boots hitting marble floors. Were dreams supposed to have this amount of sensation?

Then he felt it, a hand touching his puddle. The callousness of fingers gently prodding him back to awareness. Who knew humans could also be roughly textured?

“Gooigi? Please. Tell me if you’re alright.”

Had someone said something? He wasn’t sure. The silence quickly returned so he surmised it was a trick from the nothingness.

A palm was placed against him, softly pushing him.

“A-a sign… _anything_.” The words were followed by a short sob and then the sucking in of air.

It wasn’t a trick after all. He’d never heard such… sadness? Worry? Both? Both come from simple words before. He wished he could move and prove he was fine, but, at this point, _he _wasn’t even sure he was fine.

The hand began to quake.

“Please?” The voice warbled, no, _Luigi’s_ voice warbled.

Another gentle prod and the hand was gone. The sound of a tank being unclipped from a machine. The Poltergust. His tank was being removed from the Poltergust. It’s opening pressed onto his form. A last-ditch attempt by Luigi to revive him. How could he refuse? With a strength he did not know he had, Gooigi slowly slunk into the tank. The cool glass like fire on his abused Ectoplasm. He couldn’t help but quake at the feeling. Slowly, the glass warmed and his quaking subsided. His tank did not have a heating element, but his carrier did. The gentle warmth of Luigi seeping through the glass and into his tired form.

His vision returned slightly, everything was a mess of color and shape; nothing was solid. He could see the collage of Luigi’s hands clasped around his container, feeding warmth and concern into the goo in an attempt to heal him. The blur cleared a bit more as his gaze turned up to the man’s face. Unshed tears prickling the corners of his eyes. The excess moisture brightening the sharp blue of his iris’. His cheeks red with exertion from the fight. How warm would they be? How would they feel?

Ah.

Thoughts. This was good. His collective was inquiring again.

“G-Gooigi? Are you alright?” Luigi pulled in closer as he spoke, looking for a sign.

All Gooigi could manage was an undetailed hand to push against the glass. The hand had no reference to Luigi’s gloves. It was just an untextured, simple hand. His hand. His _real _hand, whatever that meant. He curled the fingers together and formed a loose thumbs up. Gooigi wasn’t even sure if Luigi could see it considering his whole body was shoved into the tank. Luigi let out a wavering laugh, a droplet falling onto the glass and obscuring the goo’s view once more.

“You had me worried,” The plumber gently reconnected Gooigi’s tank to the Poltergust. “Please don’t do that again.”

Gooigi let out a sound of agreement to placate the man and relaxed once more into his container, fully intending to put himself in danger as many times as it took to keep his carrier, no, his _friend _alive and well.

But he didn’t need to know that just yet.


	4. Sentimental Longing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gooigi has emotions and doesn't like how negative they get. Polterpup is best dog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Vague mentioning of animal abuse. Nothing graphic but abuse was definitely implied.

Emotion and Logic: two ideals perpetually at odds with each other. Without Logic, humans would be swayed by their violent outbursts and blind confidence. Without emotion, weak or less fortunate humans would be cast aside for the benefit of the species. But together, these ideals make a quality creature. Sure, sometimes these are unbalanced in people, but a majority of the time they are in synch.

Gooigi had been told he lacked both these ideals. It _stung_; he’s not sure why it did but it did. He knew he wasn’t anything like E. Gadd; a full-blooded human filled with life. And he knew he wasn’t like the ghosts E. Gadd collected; spirits long removed from their vessels but imbued with vim and vigor. But, to tell him to his face that he had nothing inside him was… _soul crushing._

At least that was something he did have, a soul. He was made out of ghost essence, which, in a sense, was a soul. E. Gadd had assured him he’d have a place to go when he died.

_When._

The scientist’s presence had soured his existence fairly quickly. While the man could produce music and color, he couldn’t produce joy. E. Gadd was a logical man, which made him callous to the people around him. His only passion was furthering his research and becoming acclaimed in his field. E. Gadd was a genius, that much was true, but that did not make him a good man.

Gooigi had little to no experience with other humans; he was kept in his vial or his tank a majority of the day. When he was released, he would ignore the stray ghosts around the lab. In turn, they ignored him too. However, it was more out of fear than dislike. He became isolated not only as a being, but as the only one of his kind. Ghosts found him horrifying, E. Gadd handled him like a hazard, and the coffee brand that brought him life was out of business.

It was obvious the universe considered him a mistake.

Mistakes were common around the scientist’s lab. How would he be any different?

The only thing keeping him from embracing this conclusion was his purpose, or, what E. Gadd kept alluding to be his purpose. He would talk often about another human, male, who helped him greatly in capturing King Boo a few years back. Gooigi had bristled at the name. Due to his biomorphic composition, Gooigi always knew exactly where King Boo was at any given time.

He wasn’t so sure how to feel about the guy that brought that menace within sensing distance of the goo, but he considered himself open minded.

His first introduction to this _Luigi_ was looking in the mirror after E. Gadd’s experiment on his form. The inventor had hooked his tank up to a computer and began sending in electrical pulses to his body. The information reacted with the small chip implanted in his ectoplasm and spread across his conscious. When he was let out of the tank, almost immediately he sprung into the new form.

Gooigi was shocked how different he looked after his body responded to the signal. He was tall, a bit rotund, and had a moustache and _hair_. He had arms and legs, both responded quickly to movement input, and an actual head with an actual faced stamped on the front. He was preloaded with a Poltergust and flashlight; his endoplasm glowing as the chip responded to his ghost bioluminescence. The scientist remarked he was a perfect copy of Luigi, but Gooigi doubted Luigi had such dead eyes. Though, it was nice to finally be able to look down on E. Gadd for once. If other humans were this tall, perhaps he should try and hold a human shape for longer. Gooigi was intrigued and wished to explore, he wished to move this new face and use what E. Gadd had given him to make a few changes here and there and…

Gooigi felt a sharp gaze piercing though him.

Gooigi no longer wished to explore. He halted his movements and waited for instruction like he’d been taught.

E. Gadd had him do a few moves and poses, taking photos every few minutes to document. The whole time, Gooigi began to feel the strain of holding a shape for so long. It was helped along by the chip thankfully.

He was poked, prodded, measured, dipped in water, set near a flame, shocked, and more. Now that he had this Luigi’s body type, E Gadd was pushing him to do things he didn’t know how to do. Gooigi had never walked in his life and yet he was forced forward. His long limbs flailing like a baby deer as his head slammed into the floor and split everywhere. He longed to crawl back into his tank ad curl up into a puddle, but the chip reminded his ectoplasm how to settle and he slowly began to rise from the cold lab floor. 

He was allowed to rest after he learned to walk. The next day the scientist pulled up images on his monitor of a man dressed in green. Brown hair neatly tucked under a green hat embroidered with the letter L, sharp blue eyes looking towards the camera, mouth perked into a small smile with the tips of his moustache following.

_Kind_ is the word his mind supplied the moment Gooigi viewed the photo. Nothing from his past experience with humans should have given him any good impression, but something about the man’s disposition and that smile just broke away at Gooigi skepticism.

Barely.

E. Gadd enlightened him on the man’s identity and gave Gooigi time to study a few more pictures of him. The blob spent the rest of the evening pondering his gut reaction to the image. He couldn’t help but wonder what he would be like, what he would sound like, how he would move.

And, more importantly, would he be a good man.

-

The Canis lupus Specteris, or Polterpup, was an interesting species of ghost. He wasn’t intelligent like the other ghosts in The Last Resort—if you exclude the hammers—and had no real agenda other than to chase and play. Gooigi assumed the ghost was present in the hotel before everyone arrived, but the amount of phantasmal residue on Luigi from the pup told otherwise. A few short encounters weren’t enough for that much cross contamination; it was clear Luigi owned the dog, which explained its loyalty and—sporadic—helpful behavior.

From what he took from being E. Gadd lab rat, ghost dogs were not common. At all. In fact, the scientist alluded to dogs almost immediately being taken to the after life once they died. The only thing that could keep a soul from reaching its destination was an attachment to a place… or a person.

The capacity for human cruelty baffled Gooigi; why some humans could so easily hurt something so innocent was beyond his field of understanding. It was very unlikely these people were too logical to empathize with an inferior animal or found it emotionally draining. No, those people were just evil. Beyond the salvation of human ideologies. It seemed like he was jumping to conclusions, but those of the dead could see things those of the living could not. With Gooigi’s spectral composition, he could see things hidden from human eyes. Under the glow of his ghostly shell was a sign of his abuse. All damage done to the vessel was reversed in a ghost’s soul form, unless it was, quite literally, beaten into them. Tails did not bend in such a way whether you were dead or not.

Polterpup was probably very attached to whoever owned him, even though the owner did not feel that same way. He probably loved with all his heart until he could love no more, but at that point it was too late. His love exceeding his need to be safe, to run away. So, he stayed, locked up in that headspace until he drifted away. Not even death could break his loyalty.

Death, loneliness, freedom, and then, something changed. He found someone new, someone worthy of his love. He found Luigi.

Boy, could Gooigi sympathize with that.

The damage underneath Polterpup’s shell had eased quite a lot from what Gooigi could tell. His realization of what a good owner is soothing his marks from the past. It would never fully heal, but scars of that magnitude never do. The blob was lucky in that regard; he believed if he didn’t his outer layer would be a mural of marks.

Gooigi was usually tucked away when the pup gave a short visit; he would watch the dog pop in and out of walls as it tried to engage in play with its master. Luigi was always startled when Polterpup leapt from the darkness, his knees knocking as his legs tried to jump in opposing directions. The pup would bark, lead Luigi to a hidden object, and then disappear. Sometimes, he would be the only reason a puzzle was completed.

Gooigi got a real good look at the pup a little after Polterkitty stole an elevator button for the second time. He had been released to aid Luigi in tracking the cats prints when Polterpup appeared through the wall and slammed right into Gooigi. The blob fell onto the floor as the dog began to lick and paw at him. He placed his hands up in reflex to remove the pup, fingers threading through the ghostly short fur. It was soft, but a different kind of soft than Luigi. It had a light weight to it and its ends pricked at his membrane. He hefted the dog up to remove its tongue from where it had begun to wear a groove in his face. Polterpup looked down in confusion at the realization that he was not his owner. The dog leapt off of the blob as he began to push himself up in a sitting position.

“Oh! Polterpup, no! Bad doggy, no jumping.” Luigi exclaimed as he trotted over to his goo doppelganger. “Oh jeez, what has he done to your face?”

Luigi tucked his gloved fingers under Gooigi’s chin and lifted his face for a better look. Gooigi had nowhere to look but right into the plumber’s eyes. If he had blood, it would have all rushed to his face. This was far too close for poor Gooigi’s conscious to bear. Luigi’s thumbs came to the groove and began trying to smooth it out, only making it worse in the process. The man let out a surprised squawk and released Gooigi’s head.

“Ho no, I made it worse.” Luigi flailed his hands for a moment before grabbing his Poltergust nozzle. “I think I can fix it, hold on. Let me just- “. Before he could turn the vacuum to the suction function, Gooigi pushed the nozzle up and away from his face. All it took was a sharp slap to the back of his head to displace enough goo to fix the dent. Luigi flinched at the sound before letting out a nervous giggle.

“O-oh, right, I forgot you were, uh, _gooey_, hehe.”

It was a simple observation, but Luigi’s tone morphed it into a humorous remark. Gooigi felt a noise bubble up from his throat in response. It was a mimic of Luigi’s laugh, but a laugh none the less. The sound seemed odd coming from him; he’d never found anything humorous before. But all it took was a non-joke from the plumber and he was defying expectations. 

Luigi was surprised about it too. His cheeks reddened a bit. “I-I didn’t mean it as a joke, you know.”

He stood, extending his hands out for Gooigi to grab. The goo latched on and raised himself from the floor. Luigi turned and motioned for Polterpup to come closer.

“Naughty, that’s what you are, naughty for jumping on Gooigi.” He tutted as he waggled his finger. “I thought I taught you your manners, young man. Go apologize.” Luigi spoke with a stern inflection and expression, but Gooigi caught a hint of playfulness as well. He was joking, obviously, but why would he talk so seriously with a dog? It didn’t make much sense. Still, Polterpup seemed to understand the man and trotted over to him. He encircled his green legs like a cat before butting his head into Gooigi’s hand, begging for some pets.

He tilted his head in interest before dragging his fingers through the pup’s hair. His fingers didn’t stick to the ghostly fur so he was free to push into the dogs petting as much as he pleased. Gooigi heard a soft “so cute” from Luigi but ignored it in favor of petting the pooch. He could’ve stood there all day and indulged the dog if it weren’t for the spine tingled yowl that rocked the Spectral Catch dining room.

Polterpup jumped away from Gooigi’s hand and began sniffing around the room. He settled on a spot in the floor and dove through the wood, dropping into the room below.

“I think he’s caught her scent! Come on, we’ve got a cat to catch!”

Luigi pressed the button to open the Poltergust’s tank; the glass tank’s bottom sliding over to give Gooigi room to go inside. Gooigi dropped his form and moved across the ground to the opening before jumping in. The bottom slid closed and clicked into place.

Luigi adjusted the vacuum and started towards the door out. “Just three more floor, three more floors and we’ll have everyone safe and sound.” Though he couldn’t see it, Gooigi knew the man had a smile on his face when he said it.

Yes, three more floors and then they were done. They were finished. They would go-. They would go…no. No, Luigi would go. Go home. With Polterpup. While Gooigi went with E. Gadd. Back to the tank. Back to the lab. Back… _home_.

All the excitement he felt before soured. Of course, Luigi wouldn’t take him home, he wasn’t his to take. Luigi did not own him. He wasn’t made for a domestic environment; he was made to be an instrument for capturing ghosts, not for playing house.

Gooigi pressed back into the tank, Luigi’s comforting warmth doing nothing for the things he was feeling. A creature like him shouldn’t be feeling this kind of longing for someone he hasn’t even left yet. But here he was, pining for something that won’t happen while his object of longing was none the wiser.

Luigi was feeling great relief at the light at the end of their journey, but all Gooigi could feel was dread.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took a little longer to post, I've been working on finals. My winter break starts on Friday so i'll be able to work on chapters much faster. Hope y'all have been enjoying this! Its been a while since I've written anything with multiple chapters so go easy on me.


	5. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gooigi is ready for what comes next, even if it means he'll be left behind when its all over.

Something Gooigi took from his short residence in E. Gadd’s lab was the importance of lists and list making. It was a cathartic action that kept day to day things in line; checking off each task or piece of information was irresistible to those with scattered brains.

The scientist kept many lists around the lab. Ones for the care of contained ghosts, one for contacting other professionals about collaborations, and one hastily taped to Gooigi’s tank reminding the professor to feed him.

Yes, he ate. That was quite the point of contention in his early life due to E. Gadd’s assumptions about how he got his energy. Ghosts ate, humans ate, he ate. Not hard to understand. Yet it took the man 4 days before he noticed the goo was withering away from starvation.

The scientist was so panicked that his creation would waste away he poured Gooigi straight onto an all-out feast of a turkey dinner.

It was gone within the hour.

Gooigi kept lists too, but not ones for remembering things. The good thing about having a complex consciousness was the great memory. The downside was also the memory. There were many things he’d like to forget. His lists were about himself and what was new. Personality changes, food preferences, favorite colors, and other things of that nature. It was his way of grounding himself when the world became too much. Sensory overload was quick to strike, especially if E. Gadd was performing a test.

His list was small, but he hoped it would expand in the future once he was implemented in the field.

  * His name was Gooigi (once Goo)
  * He liked being tall
  * His favorite food was marshmallows
  * He tasted like coffee
  * His favorite color was blue
  * He wants King Boo to be put somewhere else
  * He wishes to understand friendship

Time passed after that list was made and nothing had really changed. The day to day was never enough for him to add or subtract anything from it. That was until he finally met Luigi officially. The world was dark and murky, but Luigi was a green beacon that shined his light—literally—and dispelled the darkness.

He taught Gooigi it was okay to be autonomous and to take care of himself. He taught him compassion for the ghosts they didn’t have to catch and empathy for the ones they did. He taught him that while, yes, he wasn’t human, he was a person, and he deserved the same treatment. Though, as much as Luigi shrieked and jumped around the halls of The Last Resort, he never taught Gooigi fear.

That is until he challenged King Boo.

-

15 floors of non-stop challenges. Ghost after ghost thrown their way with boss ghosts not far behind. All the time they spent working together had finally come to a head.

Gooigi could feel himself shake at King Boo’s proximity. He was close, very close. Whatever was behind the door in Helen’s security room held the final encounter.

The trepidation he felt for what comes after was gone; he couldn’t let himself slip when Luigi needed him the most. Luigi’s brother, Mario, had already entered the room, ever the energetic one. E. Gadd sent the plumber a quick warning before Luigi gripped the brass knob in his gloved hands and opened the door.

Gooigi sat still in his tank as his carrier climbed the metal stairs to the roof; his cells quivering at the overwhelming amount of energy being projected from the top floor. He knew King Boo was powerful, but, even in captivity, Gooigi never knew it was this bad. He was even more surprised to know this is Luigi’s third time going after the behemoth. Not that he doubted the plumber’s skills, but this was a being of pure, unadulterated hate.

Luigi brought a hand back and gently tapped on the glass of his tank to calm him. It wasn’t hard to assume Gooigi was scared senseless by the shaking, but the goo was more psyched up than anything.

Mario had long since gone off and scoured the sidings to reach the top floor, leaving Luigi to take the long way around due to the amount of equipment he was carrying. He sidled across the gaping maw of King Boo’s statue and found the maintenance ladders leading to the very top. The endless expanse of stars around them framed the brick and mortar as Luigi climbed higher and higher, his feet slipping on the unused metal. Gooigi dared to look down and the world around him dropped; vertigo sure was something he’d never like to experience again. The plumber gripped the last bar and hauled himself over the precipice. Gooigi turned away from the drop and caught a flash of what was at the top.

And there sat the Princess. Terrified face front and center of the composition. King Boo seemed to think himself an artist with how he positioned his prey in the portraits.

Luigi ran up to the frame and grabbed his black light nozzle, harried fingers slipping on the button. When he finally got the contraption on, he watched as the princess slowly began to emerge from her imprisonment.

Gooigi was impressed at her ability to look majestic in something as chaotic as falling. Her dress billowing outward to slow her descent. She made contact to the roof with only the sound of her heels giving her away. He was turned away from her in his container, but he could hear her grateful laugh as she walked closer. He was also envious of the affection she displayed. The three threw themselves into a relieved hug. Luigi sniffling at the feeling of having his family returned. He pressed into their embrace for the comfort it brought to his heart. The goo felt put out at the gesture. It wasn’t like he was expecting to get a hug too, it just… it would have been nice…

His pity party was interrupted when he zeroed in on Luigi’s voice, he was whispering something, his head angled back towards the Poltergust. Soft ‘Thank you thank you _thank you_’s filtered through the wild winds and crushing hugs to Gooigi’s hearing radius. He thought it was simply exasperated mumbling, until Luigi caught his eye. Unshed tears caught in corners of his crinkled eyes, a watery smile quivering below.

Gooigi felt a warmth crawl up from his core; a soft syrupy feeling that trapped his negative impressions and left only a sense of… _affection_. The warmth grew, and with it came jitters. Jitters that soon turned into… into _shaking_. He suddenly felt himself begin to vibrate violently. He jumped as a malicious purple glow enveloped the three. The color so deep and foreboding it could only come from one source.

Luigi turned to see the ghost rise from behind the building, waiting for the plumbers to fall into his trap. His snarling mouth spitting angry promises as he summoned another frame from the jewel in his crown. It was larger, obviously made for multiple targets. Gooigi could feel Luigi’s trembling and pressed solidly against the back wall for support. They had been through too much to let one pompous ghost exact his twisted revenge.

The Toads and E. Gadd were apprehended easily and pushed into the painting. The man’s shaking got worse, his knees audibly knocking together and he death gripped the Poltergust’s nozzle. Gooigi watched as the painting threatened to fall upon them and felt his ectoplasm drop at a sudden realization.

Luigi had frozen.

He wasn’t seeking safety outside the frame’s boundary.

Gooigi looked out of the tank and caught Luigi’s expression. It chilled him to the bone. His eyes, once filled with determination, were now clouded with nightmarish panic. His face was pale and his bottom lip was clenched between his teeth, a small trickle of blood dripped down his chin from the broken skin.

Gooigi had to act, now.

He began pushing on the seal of his tank, trying to shove some of his form out of the container to do _anything_. All he needed was a small strand to crawl up Luigi’s arm and open the tank so he could move the man to safety. He formed his legs and shoved them on the back wall to give himself leverage, his membrane ripping as he pushed himself as hard as he could through any crack that would take him. His ectoplasm was going numb where it was being forced against the metal but he could swear some was escaping.

He looked up again and flinched at how close the frame had gotten; just a little push and the momentum would be too fast for Gooigi to react.

He thrashed back and forth to try and shake Luigi out of the daze. An animalistic need to escape taking him over. He formed fists, far more than necessary, and slammed them against every surface he could touch. By an instinct he did not know he had, his fingers had grown claws. The protrusions scraping away some of the material in his prison. He was able to get a deep indent in the glass, but it was too late. The shadow of the frame was nearing them faster and faster. He turned again, trying to get one last good look at Luigi before they were captured.

Then.

A miracle.

Just as the frame finished its ark and slammed onto the ground, Polterpup lunged across the danger zone and pushed Luigi to safety. His quick tongue bath enough to shock the plumber out of his state. As he hit the ground, the man’s thumb triggered the release mechanism and Gooigi shot out of the tank and onto the concrete. He scrambled up, sticking to the ground as his body recovered from his insistent damage. His extra limbs fell back into his form as he ran to Luigi’s side.

He didn’t wait for the plumber to grab his outstretched hands; he formed his fists around Luigi’s wrists and hauled him up. The man stumbled and fell onto the goo. He looked up at Gooigi in shock and then turned his head towards the Boo. Gooigi held him up as he surveyed his family once again trapped in canvas. Luigi’s fists tightened in his grip and his face lifted into a snarl. He let out a growl before pushing off of Gooigi and grabbing his Poltergust.

All the gusto Luigi had left him quickly as the Boo turned on him once more. Though, even with the fear returning to him once more, the man stood his ground. He turned slightly, looking back at his doppelganger pleadingly.

Without an ounce of hesitation, Gooigi stepped to Luigi’s side. He promised himself he wouldn’t let his friend go through this alone. No matter what happens after the fight it done, Gooigi would give his all right here. All it took, he reminded himself, all it took was one good hit for it all to be over. But Gooigi could come back as many times as necessary to get the job done.

“You want to fight me?!” The Boo spat. “FINE! Let’s go, Luigi! This is the end for you, once and for all! Here I come!”


	6. Impact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gooigi be falling in love... literally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting so close to that sweet sweet domestic stage of the fic and i'm kind of worried. I've been doing my research on Luigi's house and theres, like, two pictures of it. Either way, finally getting to slow down will be great for my word count, bad for my arms (My laptop likes to dig into my skin when i write lol). Anyway, hope y'all enjoy :)

The barrage of attacks King Boo scattered around their makeshift arena scorched and ripped the stone underneath asunder. Clouds rolled in above them as the boohemoth conjured lightning bolts from the heavens. Luigi sprinted for an area that hadn’t caught sparks from the magic and dragged Gooigi along with him. His hands disfiguring from the tight grip the man had on his form. With a deafening crack, the magic plasma shot from the clouds and tore into the floor below them. The building shook as the energy displaced around the metal structure holding up the stone.

Luigi was a ball of chaotic energy, every move by King Boo stirring him up into a tizzy. Gooigi could feel the man’s heartbeat through his hands and it scared him how fast it was going. The blob was pretty sure going over 200 bpm was deadly for humans, but he didn’t have the time to count the beats as the Boo concentrated his magics for another attack.

“T-t-this is i-insane! He’s never a done this before!” Luigi’s breath caught in his throat at the specter opened his eyes and motioned for balls of fire to liberate from his crown.

The plumber jumped back; pushing Gooigi away from the ball of flames as he retreated. The heat was so powerful he could feel his membrane screech in protest as it hit his back.

They needed an opening if they were going to take this _thing _down. Something other than lightning and fire would be nice; he severely doubted the Poltergust was powerful enough to suck up those things.

“Gooigi!” Luigi yelled. “Stick close, we can’t get- “The man turned, sentence dying in his throat as King Boo left his station at the edge of the platform and raised above them. They only had a split second to react before the specter slammed down onto the arena. Luigi was able to burst over the shock wave, but Gooigi couldn’t react in time. The blob splattered onto the ground; body obliterated by the shockwave.

Gooigi groaned in frustration, it would take too long for him to right himself before the Boo came down again. The chip’s signal had been disrupted from the fall so he was stuck in his little puddle until it came back. Before he could try and take human form on his own, he felt a slight pull from Luigi’s direction; he must be trying to recall him with the Poltergust. Gooigi released his control on himself and let the device return him to his tank. He steered himself into the cervices between each tile to protect from King Boo’s attacks, making his way across the stage and back to his carrier.

Luigi stopped and turned as the goo approached, tilting the vacuum back so he could hop inside. The plumber placed a hand on the glass. “Are you alright?”

In response, Gooigi leapt from the container and sprung up into his mold. Head high, gooey Poltergust gripped in his hands. He let out a sound of confirmation before turning back towards the ghost.

Ghost’s always knew when Gooigi was looking at them. With no eyes to speak of, humans simply thought whichever way his head was turned was where he looked, but spirits knew better. King Boo looked back to the blob, staring deep into his inner eyes. The specter sneered, posturing himself in a dominant display. Bold, but Gooigi knew better. The Boo was unnerved by him. Like all other ghosts he’d encountered, they were wary of his place in the cycle of life and death. The Boo may be powerful, but he was still bound by the limitations of his afterlife.

Gooigi stared back at the spirit, glaring deep from within his soul. Body in a return display of mocking as he let slip a snarl. He was not afraid of death.

King Boo jolted back. His fear tactics had failed. Yet… The Boo turned to the goo’s companion. He believed he still had a chance to break Gooigi’s indifference. He spun, using his magic to conjure a spiked ball. Reeling back, his placed his aim right between the plumber’s eyes before hurling the massive ball.

The two dodged the ball as it slammed into the ground; cracking open to reveal live bombs as a failsafe if the ball missed. However, only one of the bombs was currently active. Eyes widening, Luigi grabbed one of the idle bombs with his nozzle and turned on King Boo. Determination in his eyes, he launched the bomb right back at the Boo. And before the Boo could react, the explosive lodged itself right down the specter’s throat.

Gooigi let out a warbled “Ho yeah!” They’d finally found their in! Luigi turned to him, excited smile on his face before looking back at their opponent.

King Boo choked and sputtered, his tongue rolling back in his mouth to try and dislodge the bomb. Teeth gnashing and arms flailing, the Boo let out a shriek as the bomb detonated. Smoke billowed out from his mouth as his eyes rolled back. He tried to keep himself afloat, but soon fell onto the arena; tongue lolling out of his mouth.

Gooigi ran forward and sucked up King Boo’s tongue with the Poltergust, Luigi not far behind. He pulled the faux machine back, awaiting his carrier’s signal.

“On three, okay?” Luigi spread his feet, centering his gravity. “One- “Gooigi mimicked the movement. “Two- “The two pulled back, checking the tautness of the suction. “Three!” Gooigi gripped the nozzle and began to yank the Boo upwards. His body screaming at the force he was trying to output. He’d never been able to open doors, but lifting a massive ghost filled with hatred? Yeah, that was doable. It was helped by Luigi at his side. The man groaned at the weight of the specter but followed through. They managed to lift the Boo up off the ground and changed their foot stance for the slam.

Like he’d been energized by the lightning swirling above, Gooigi felt a surge of power in his form. He led the charge, lifting and slamming King Boo down onto the floor. Massive cracks trailed from the impact point and shook the ground. They lifted the ghost once more before smashing him on the other side of the roof top. They found a rhythm, working in tandem as they broke down the Boo’s health like they’d done many times before.

Gooigi could sense King Boo’s strength weakening, his ghostly form beginning to get sucked into Luigi’s vacuum. He held tight, hoping that one more slam was enough to put the menace away once and for all. Just as they were about to bring the Boo down one last time, the suction on his tongue slipped and released the specter. King Boo flew back, crown dented from the blows to the stone. His gem was still in place and was glowing something fierce. King Boo began to shake in anger, jewel pulsing with energy then flashing brightly. The ghost conjured a mist from the gem before swirling it together to summon a clone of himself. They were identical to Luigi, but for Gooigi, he could still see the rage filled purple eyes of the original.

Gooigi motioned to the plumber, acting out his knowledge of the real Boo. Luigi turned his head in confusion, not understanding the game of charades his partner was doing during a battle. Gooigi huffed in frustration. The goo was going to kill E. Gadd for not teaching him how to speak.

Frantically, Gooigi pointed towards his eyes and then the real King Boo, miming the difference as best he could. It took a second, but Luigi’s eyes widened at the realization.

“You can tell the difference between the two!”

His exclamation paused the battle for a moment. Gooigi turned to the Boo’s and saw their expressions had morphed into one of worry. The Boo’s turned to the blob before disappearing into smoke, most likely to shuffle themselves around, before reappearing at the edge of the platform.

Luigi jumped as they reappeared, head swiveling back and forth. “W-which ones which, Gooigi? I seriously can’t tell.” Gooigi pointed to the one with visible eyes.

King Boo shrieked in surprise then lowered his dual faces into a snarl. It didn’t matter if one of them could tell which one was which, all that mattered was he could sling twice as many spells.

Both Boo’s crowns began glowing as they channeled their magic, the clouds above swirling and crackling once more with purple lightning. Luigi turned to Gooigi and nodded; he would wait for the goo’s command when the time came.

“Y-you point, I’ll shoot. Come on, buddy, let’s do this!”

-

Finally, there was silence.

The frantic winds and ghostly shrieks around the terrace seemed to halt in time as King Boo disappeared into the Poltergust. The boohemoth’s gem lay abandoned on the ground, glowing eerily in the night. Everything was so still, the only thing moving was the light from the massive frame above their arena.

The only sound in this space was Luigi’s breathing, short huffs of exhaustion turned into little clouds as the man caught his breath. Gooigi felt his chest expand then drop again in a mimic of his breathing; it felt satisfying, like he had a job well done.

Luigi turned to his gooey counterpart, a smile slowly growing. “We… we did it.” He took a few steps forward before starting into a run. “We did it!” He flew into Gooigi, wrapping his arms around his form. Fingers gripping his membrane tightly as he embraced his friend. Gooigi’s arms came up slowly. It was reminiscent of when he learned the ‘high five’, but this… this was much better. He wrapped his extended arms around his plumber; comforting warmth no longer separated by metal and glass. Unconsciously, he lifted Luigi off the ground. He had a joy in his minds, something he needed to express. He twirled on his feet, swinging Luigi around in a display of celebration. All the while, the man laughed and hollered cries of victory.

It was then that he felt his chip click back to life. His body solidified a bit, making his grip tighten. The man let out an ‘oof’ at the pressure as Gooigi lowered him to the ground to take stock at what just occurred.

Luigi turned towards the gem taking a step towards it; a sharp wind knocked him back as the world around them moved once more. The rising trees around the building dropped back to the ground like wooden hail as all the displaced air from the giant frame rushed back into place. The plumber gasped as the frame began to shrink drastically. While it shrunk, it fell faster and faster to the broken stone of the terrace. Luigi shrieked and ran towards its impact point, only barely catching it before it slammed into the ground.

Luigi stood on wobbly knees. “Oh, thank goodness, oh boy, that could’ve been… no, no, everything’s fine.” He took a shaky step towards the gem, still pulsing with power. “L-let’s take these down to the lobby and get everyone free.” His gloved hand brushed against the stone, brushing off a layer of dust in the process. At this touch, the gem went dark. Gooigi felt his ectoplasm drop a bit at the sight.

“Oh no.”

The floor beneath them shifted hard to the right, toppling the two over. The cracks from King Boo’s impact point began to shudder and expand across the arena. Gooigi wobbled his way closer to Luigi; he couldn’t get separated now. A large piece of stone cracked and rose into the sky, rocketing the gem off the side of the hotel roof. The loss of weight on the side rocked the building in the other direction, throwing Gooigi two steps back from where he had advanced. The Boo impacts groaned and split quickly, the trails spilling together like two rivers, and shot to the other side of the terrace.

A perfect line separated the two hunters.

Luigi gripped onto the painting, turning to Gooigi with panic in his eyes. He held out a hand and shimmied closer to the fault line keeping the two apart. Gooigi moved forward, he kept his pace even and avoided large cracks. All it took was one good hole in the ground for him to slip right through. He ensured his weight was even as he traveled the long path to Luigi’s side. Small steps. Watch the cracks. Even weight. Not too fast!

Gooigi placed his foot right at the edge of the fault, balancing carefully on the sharp edge of the crack. It pierced him a bit, but he ignored the tear in favor of looking at his carrier. Luigi had dared to move a bit closer, his arm still outstretched to pull Gooigi to the other side. He didn’t dare use the Poltergust, its call back wasn’t strong enough to keep the blob from falling.

Luigi opened and closed his mouth, seemingly trying out different words of encouragement that died before they could reach open air. Speaking could very much topple this Jenga tower of terror if he wasn’t careful. The man stepped closer, spreading his feet and leaning his free arm over the chasm. Small rumbles shook pebbles and small debris from the edge down into the area below. Gooigi looked down, he could see small splotches of neon where the signage from floor 14 exploded. Shimmering gold from Helen Gravely’s King Boo memorabilia glinted from the moonlight. It looked like a beautiful death, but not one Gooigi was interested in.

He brought both feet to the edge of the fault. All he had to do was push off, attach to Luigi’s hand, lose his form and create a support with his body so they both didn’t fall. Easy. Super easy. Wow, he wished he had more body morph training for this.

Gooigi bent his knees, lowering into position. Luigi’s breath caught in his throat; his taken hand gripped around the frame. He compressed some of his goo down like an accordion; if take off failed, he could always throw half of himself across and find the other bit later. His consciousness mumbled in excitement, trepidation, and calculation. It’s the loudest its ever been and he definitely needs it.

Gooigi focused his gaze on his partner, his soul reaching out for Luigi’s to give him a sign. I trust you. Don’t worry. You’ll catch me. Luigi nodded, murmuring a soft “Come on.” As the blob used all force and pushed off from the ledge.

Just then, the earth fell away.

The hotels last legs had been broken and with it came all 15 floors. Luigi dropped with the terrace, frightened screams drowned out by the deafening collisions of tons and tons of concrete, stone, and metal. Gooigi felt gravity catch up with him and made a bee line for Luigi’s vanishing form. His structure fell away to preserve his momentum as he shot down like a missile. Body contorted by the wind into a spear, he twisted and warped his way around debris crashing around him. The dust from the carnage blanketed his vision, but he could still see his target.

Luigi’s bright blue soul shone like the North Star in the dark night, illuminating his path into the bowels of the breaking hotel. No resistance, no obstacles, no stopping, and Gooigi had finally caught up to Luigi’s falling form. His screaming had stopped; instead, he clutched his family’s portrait, keeping it in front so it would be cushioned by the fall. Gooigi shot out an arm of goo and sunk his claws into Luigi’s shirt, dragging himself towards the man. His eyes shot open, tears flying up past Gooigi and into the dust around them. Gooigi struggled to move his body but was able to make it back into his mold. He climbed around and behind Luigi, wrapping his arms around the man and the painting. He could barely hear Luigi’s questioning cries as the wind whipped past them.

He closed his eyes and waited for impact.


	7. Agreement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The transition between work and relaxation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving! Just pretend I'm not posting this 2 hours before its technically not Thanksgiving. This is the last chapter I'm basing off the main game. Now we're moving into domestic fluff territory! I'll have a chapter after this moving things to Luigi's house then we'll get going from there. Hope y'all enjoy and sorry for the late update >:3

The sharp nip of ghostly teeth brought Gooigi back to the present. His wrapped arms stung; not just from the frame’s corners or Luigi’s grip, but also a spectral canines, well, _canines_. His minds came back online, vision moving quickly around him. One view found itself facing the ground, the still ground, as another looked past his passengers and onto the smiling muzzle of Polterpup. Gooigi identified a feeling from watching the translucent pup lower the two to the ground; it was similar to what he felt when he saw his friend, but a bit more charming. One bundle of thought threw forth _admiration _before the dog released his bite and dropped them to the ground.

Gooigi grumbled at the grit of dust and debris sticking to his person. He started to push himself off the ground when he felt Luigi flinch in his lap. He was seated firmly in Gooigi’s lap; the blob’s body perfectly holding his occupant from the hard ground. The pressure was comforting and he felt a tad smug. He had been able to protect his friend from the fall—with the dogs help of course—and now he was curled up in his lap instead of in the dirt. It was all very satisfying until Luigi started moving. The plumber’s weight smushed his goo around onto even more piles of small stones as he frantically whipped his head from side to side.

Hands occupied to lift Gooigi from the ground, he formed two more arms from his body and settled them on Luigi’s head, stopping the man from spreading more of his membrane on the dirt and dust below. Well, that nice moment is over.

With both sets of arms, Gooigi lifted the man from his lap and moved to stand up. Small protrusions from his body came and went, removing large pieces of gravel from his outer layer. If you looked close enough, they resembled nearly microscopic little Gooigis. He pushed the plumber to his feet and watched the man look around the wreckage of the former Last Resort.

Luigi coughed from the dusty air. “How are we not dead…?” Gooigi let out a trill to capture his attention and pointed to where Polterpup was digging into a pile of rubble. The ghost dog disappeared then reemerged with a slice of surprisingly clean pizza in his muzzle.

“O-oh, right. He’s a really good at that… wait a minute.” Luigi turned on the blob, eyes sharp. Gooigi took a cautionary step back, unsure of what caused the change of mood. “You tried to turn yourself into a huma-, uh, ghost—no—erm… _green goo landing pad_! What were you thinking?!”

The plumber set down his family’s frame as he stalked closer, face poised for one hell of a talking to.

“I saw what happened when that T-Rex got you, why did you think a fifteen-story fall would be any different?” He stepped closer, gloved finger poking into Gooigi’s chest. “You swore you wouldn’t do anything like that again after that fiasco. Why do it once more?”

Luigi’s blue eyes bore into Gooigi’s soul essence, freezing him in place. He didn’t think the man remembered that promise, leave it to Luigi to exceed his expectations once more. He tried to say something, but soon remembered he couldn’t speak. He doubted ‘Ho ho’ and ‘Buh bye’ in different tones would get the point across.

His main gaze shifted down at a flash of deep red. Upon closer inspection, a small cut had torn open the sleeve on Luigi’s long sleeve shirt and drawn blood. The color was striking compared to the pale skin and forest green of his sweater. Gooigi extended a hand and gently caught the plumber’s arm in his grip, both thumbs smoothing open the shirt tear to see the wound underneath.

“What are you- “Luigi stopped at the realization. “Wuh, you, I mean… You- you were worried I’d get hurt?” His face shifted from upset to thoughtful in a flash; he looked down at where the goo’s hands framed the small cut. “I get hurt all the time, Gooigi. Little cuts and scrapes aren’t worth risking your life. Or your afterlife.”

If Gooigi could look incredulous he would in that moment. The monsters they faced in the hotel were far from cut and scrape material. They could and would have maimed Luigi and the others if given the opportunity. It was a coincidence E. Gadd and Luigi’s family were put away in frames before the boss ghosts could reach them. And that Luigi was armed while he faced said boss ghosts. All the times they narrowly escaped a hard hit was one luck point off the total score sheet. No amount of promises could ever replace a person if the promise got them hurt. Gooigi was… mad, not at Luigi, but at his willingness to get hurt if it meant his companion was kept safe-

Oh… that was sort of what he was… no, he gets a free pass because he’s semi immortal.

Gooigi forced his brow to furrow, his first facial animation and it was one of frustration. Luigi raised his brows at the display. His expression perfectly conveying “I didn’t know you could do that.” The goo released his hold on Luigi and stuck one arm out while he raised the other above it. He then brought the higher arm down in a chopping motion and sliced clean through the outward arm. It dropped to the ground and a split second later returned to his body. The appendage replaced itself like it was never gone as he moved his gaze back to Luigi.

He was like a stone; his mind still processing Gooigi’s odd demonstration. When his brain finally caught up, Luigi sagged in defeat, sighing long and loud.

“Look, I know you can get away with a lot more than me, but that doesn’t mean you have to risk yourself every time something happens.” Luigi looked up, expression resembling the dreaded puppy dog eyes. “How could I live knowing my friend got himself hurt because of me?”

Gooigi flinched back, minds whirling at the extremely effective display. It was an obvious manipulation, but he couldn’t help by nod along with Luigi’s words. The face, the tone, the _words_. Too much. Thank goodness for his impeccable memory. His begrudging agreement brought a small smile back to his plumber’s face and Gooigi felt his insides melt even more.

He felt bad for lying to Luigi… again, especially since the man sought to remember these moments as a comfort, but he made his point many times. Luigi would just have to deal with it.

“Okay, now, lets finally get everyone free.” He moved towards the painting, tenderly picking up the frame and moving it to a taller piece of stone to start the process. Luigi looked back. “Could you watch for any _lingering spirits_, I’m afraid the black light will trigger another fall.”

It was a joke, a tense joke, but a joke. It didn’t alleviate the mood, but Gooigi refused to let this on so his friend could feel better. Gooigi formed the Poltergust’s nozzle between his hands and nodded; Luigi turned back to his work.

“Please don’t summon more ghosts. Please don’t summon more ghosts.” He mumbled as the black light clicked on. Then canvas started to warp and strain, the light undoing the dark magic keeping its inhabitants inside. The picture began to unravel from the outer edges inward. Tiny threads from the frames base unwound themselves as a light blue wave passed over them. The small strings released from the portrait flying into the dusty air, flashing bright and then fading away. The picture bulged outward as the connecting magic was stripped away as Peach led the charge, immerging from the painting as gracefully as before.

One by one, the paintings inhabitants split off from the cursed canvas and made their way into the clearing. Next Mario, then the toads, and finally… E. Gadd.

Gooigi had the great fortune of not encountering the scientist much on their journey, but things were different. E. Gadd looked… less intimidating now.

He popped from the canvas, falling to the ground with a loud thud. He struggled to get up, old bones creaking audibly. Luigi walked over and assisted the man, smiling and softly laughing as he did.

He had always seen E. Gadd as this unstoppable force of logic; someone dangerous to cross due to his intellect, but now he knew a little better. Ones perception of the world can be tainted by a lack of experiencing it. Gooigi spent so much time under something. Under a microscope, under a crusher, under E. Gadd’s gaze. But now… now he finally saw the man in a different light. He saw E. Gadd like a person would see him, not how an experiment would.

The scientist was a man; a fragile, old man. He was still uncomfortable around the man, who wouldn’t be, but Gooigi was more confident in his abilities now. And he refused to be the man’s pin cushion ever again.

Surprisingly, the professor did not look his way once he had been helped onto his feet. He kept his gaze on Luigi and his family, laughing and rejoicing at their reunion. When everyone had their attention elsewhere, he leaned down and picked a small rock from the ground. Gooigi watched silently as the man checked its weight before hurling the stone over the group. It sailed across the clearing and struck an unstable pile of debris. The pile shook from the impact and toppled over, revealing King Boo’s gem underneath. Luigi jumped at the noise, whirling around to face the pile and then carefully making his way over to it.

As Luigi investigated the gem, Gooigi studied the scientist. He seemed nonchalant, not showing any signs that he put this in motion. One thing he learned from his short time at The Last Resort, was to heed the warnings his ‘gut’ gave him. Gooigi shuffled slowly towards a bright red container that caught his eye, something about it wasn’t sitting right with him. The blob thought himself hidden from E. Gadd’s sight, but the man turned and gave him a wink from behind his spiral glasses. Gooigi flickered his main gaze back to Luigi, watching the man bend down and pick up the massive gem. Nothing seemed to be coming from it anymore; it’s magics might only work with spectral users. The feeling in his ‘gut’ became worse, the lower thoughts in his consciousness were working overtime to send messages of “panic” and “wrong”.

The gem, once safely held in the green plumber’s hands, began to shake violently. Gooigi sensed something from the red container and turned his attention back. His eyes widened, that wasn’t just any container. That was where E. Gadd stored his ghosts.

The gem shattered, its pieces never making it to the ground as they disintegrated into dust and caught the wind. As it did, the container started to rock back and forth violently. It slammed itself onto a jagged stone that popped the lid open.

A fountain of ghosts poured from the lid, hundreds of spirits from the hotel released into the late night. A few broke off from the bunch and made a bee line for Luigi, murder resonating from the souls.

Gooigi broke form, shooting to Luigi’s location across the clearing. Without the constraint of running, he could move so much quicker. He ignored the feeling of gravel and rock scraping his body and slithered as best he could to his friend. The ghosts barreled closer, unheeded by obstacles while they flew. Peach gasped at the sight and Mario yelled for his brother to run. Luigi looked up in shock, legs locking up; he frantically reached back for the Poltergust. The nozzle dropped to the ground as the ghosts came close enough to dive bomb the man and Luigi dropped to the ground.

Before Gooigi could make it any closer, E. Gadd held out a hand in his direction. He didn’t know why, but he stopped, reforming so he could glare down at the man. E. Gadd seemed amused and pointed to where Luigi was being attacked. Gooigi was preparing to move again when something flickered in the ghost’s bodies. A short pulse of light slowed the specters down to a halt. They looked around, confusion replacing the murderous intent from before. Luigi looked up from where he was huddled on the ground.

“Well, that sure was fun, wasn’t it?” Gooigi flinched at E. Gadd’s voice. “All this hubbub has been quite unnecessary, you know. It was quite obvious these ghosts have been responding to King Boo’s magic.”

The ghosts looked around at the ruins around them. Their confusion soon turned to devastation. One of the yellow ghosts, an Oozer, began to weep quietly. A blue Goob flew to their side and began to console them. The scientist walked to the group of ghosts around Luigi, pulling hard hats from the infinite space in his lab coat. He wore an expression of confidence that confused the goo.

“And I’ve got quite the business opportunity if you’ll hear me out.” He handed a Slinker one of the hats as he talked. “It seems King Boo and Miss Gravely’s interference had turned your hotel from riches to, well, _rags_. For the short while that I’ve had to experience your establishment, I think it has tremendous potential. In the right hands of course.”

The Slinker watched E. Gadd intently, there was suspicion in his body language, but he was listening intently. Gooigi moved closer, taking a place next to Luigi to help him up.

E. Gadd continued. “To put it in layman’s terms, I’d like to help you rebuild your hotel! All I ask is for a room set aside for me and a space in the garage for my lab.”

The man stopped, giving out the last hardhat to a weepy Hammer who still hadn’t caught up in the conversation.

“So,” E. Gadd extended a hand. “Do we have a deal?”

The Slinker turned to his cohorts to discuss the deal. They mumbled Gooigi could only catch a few words of Specter Speak. He wasn’t fluent in it but being part ghost essence gave him an edge when it came to understand it. They huddled closer, bringing in the Hammer for his input. The red brick shaped ghost nodded, turning back to the hardhat to examine it.

It was a tense few minutes, but the Slinker turned back to E. Gadd and gave him a thumbs up. The deal had been accepted. The scientist whooped in excitement, grabbing the purple ghost’s hand and shaking it heartily. Gooigi heard a noise of disgust from his side and he looked over. Apparently, the Hammer finally ate his hat.

“Oho, you’ve made a wonderful decision, my good man.” E. Gadd pulled the ghost to his side, throwing his free arm out in a grand gesture. “Just think about it, white marble, gold inlay, and tons of topiary. I’ll call a few friends and we’ll have more equipment than you’ll know what to do with!”

The scientist released the ghost and turned to face Luigi.

“Luigi!” He paused, shifting his gaze over to the goo. “_And Gooigi_, I still require a bit more help. Would you be so kind as to help me fix the hotel that you two aided in breaking?”

Luigi sputtered in protest. “I-I-I didn’t break anything!”

“Mhmm, mhmm, and what about all the damage you did to the interior? Slamming ghosts isn’t exactly a destruction free activity, you know.”

“Well…”

“And the Super Suction you used most likely deteriorated the integrity of the building.”

“But that was your- “

“_And _you did touch the gemstone. Touching something so full of harmful magic without gloves? Irreprehensible! In fact, you should be paying for this because of your disregard for OSHA codes.”

“I didn’t know it would- “

“Now now, Luigi my boy, I know how much pressure you were under. Pressure makes us do things that cost lots of money. You just take care of the down payment for the project and I won’t tell anyone you knocked down the whole Jenga tower. How does that sound?”

E. Gadd extended his hand once more, waiting for Luigi to accept. The plumber looked down at the man with a tired expression. He let out a long, torturous sigh before taking his hand and shaking it to seal the agreement.

“If you needed money you could’ve just told me, I hate when you try to reverse engineer loans.”

The professor winked and made his way to the ruins of the portable lab. The sharp twisted pieces of metal glimmered in the sunrise at the horizon.

“Pleasure doing business with you, my boy.”

Luigi chuckled, finding amusement in the little man’s shenanigans. Gooigi was flabbergasted at the scene he just witnessed. He thought he finally understood how humans worked but this was throwing him off. E. Gadd was obviously hassling the plumber but both intended it to be in good fun? Humans were weird.

But…

Luigi looked back at his companion. He let out another soft laugh; a ‘can you believe that guy’ unspoken in the sound. He shuffled over to a nearby rock and sat down. Gooigi moved over to do the same.

“So…” Luigi stared into the pastel pinks and oranges of the rising sun. “I know I said we would finally be done when King Boo was gone, but… I guess we still have some work to do.” He turned his body towards the blob, resting a gloved hand on the rock as his posture relaxed. The sun rose over the hills surrounding the lot; an orange and yellow glow washed over his companion. His eyes sparkled in the light, colors dancing off his bright iris’. Brown hair glowing from where it had slipped from underneath his hat. Even the dust that had stuck to the plumber’s cheeks sparkled in this light, giving him an ethereal visage. Gooigi felt a lump form in his throat at the sight. It was like looking into the sun.

Luigi cocked his head. “Do you think you’ll help me out a little while longer?”

Gooigi slowly tilted his head to copy the man. His higher brain functions had long since ceased as he resorted to his old mimicking tactics. The questioning look in Luigi’s eyes helped snap him out of his daydream. Gooigi rose from his seat; turning his body to face his friend. Some light from the sun filtered through his body, replacing the orange glow with a green tint. He extended his arm, just like E. Gadd had done earlier. But his proposition wasn’t one of greed. He was dedicated to whatever Luigi needed of him—ghost related or not.

Luigi smiled, slapping his palm into Gooigi’s and giving it a sturdy shake.

“Wonderful, now.” Gooigi pulled back as Luigi used his arm as leverage to stand from his spot. Smile brightened by the early morning; Luigi kept a grip on his companion’s hand; giving it a squeeze before letting go.

“Let’s get to work!”


	8. Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gooigi learns the pain of saying goodbye.

Work on the new hotel started immediately. E. Gadd made well on his promise for tons of equipment. Only half an hour after he made the call, construction vehicles and cleanup crews were making their way onto the property. Everyone was surprised at how prompt they were—especially considering it was at least 7 in the morning—but the mystery was soon solved the moment they left their vehicles. Apparently, E. Gadd promised them an autograph from the illustrious Princess Peach for their work. Mario and Luigi balked at the scientist’s audacity, but Peach took it in stride. Holding a makeshift court with the excited workers and signing normal items like papers or hats to odd equipment like shovels and jackhammers.

The clean up crew made quick work of the mess; making sure to cooperate with the ghosts on what should be saved and what should be trashed. Almost everything that looked like it belonged to Helen was swiftly smashed by one of the Hammers. Though the ghosts could easily pass through the piles of debris to help looks for certain items, their propensity for getting stuck had them put on the sidelines.

Gooigi blamed this on Kruller; the mall cop was so determined to dig out every last piece of the shopping center he got himself lodged in between two pieces of reinforced steel. It took Johnny Deepend and Ug to remove the specter from his predicament and Clem to keep him away from the wreckage.

The scientist soon put Polterpup and Gooigi on precious item duty. Polterpup for his great sense of smell and Gooigi for his, well, gooiness. He slipped in cracks and crevices and put items that looked important in his body. When he reemerged, the ghosts would swarm him and pass their hands through his goo to grab whatever caught their eye. Gooigi’s membrane would crawl at the feeling; he hated how he simultaneously felt and didn’t feel the spectral hands invading his body.

Apparently, he looked as bad as he felt because E. Gadd had him quickly remove the things he found from his torso before letting the ghosts get close.

Gooigi was still fairly uncomfortable around the ghosts, it was only a few hours ago that they tried to drown him and kill Luigi. But the differences between the boss ghosts once the gem was shattered were night and day. His first true realization being after he found a stuffed rabbit from the Twisted Suites and presented it to Lindsey, one of the three magician sisters. The rabbit was torn in some places and scorched in another, but she still pressed its fur to her face and hugged it close. A few tears escaped her closed eyes as the situation finally caught up with her. Her sisters closed in to hug her as she began to quietly sob.

Gooigi felt severely unqualified to deal with this and looked around for help. He was able to flag down Luigi with his desperate stare. He jogged over, concern evident in his expression.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” The plumber slowed down and moved in front of the girls, trying to get a good look as the crying sister. Nikki and Ginny looked up in surprise and then shifted their gaze away. They looked ashamed. They should be, Gooigi thought, the last time they met the sisters insulted Luigi constantly. Gooigi was sure that if Luigi had released him during their fight, he would done something he might have regretted.

Lindsey looked up from the rabbit and began speaking, her words were garbled from the crying and she spoke only in Specter Speak so its not like Luigi could understand, but the man nodded his head as she spoke. Though the words didn’t reach him, Luigi’s empathy saw right through it.

“I know how it feels to lose something you love. That hotel was important to all of you.” Luigi bent down, picking up a stray playing card the wind had blown between them. “But all that matters right now it that you have the people you love by your side and that those things you lost were just _things_.”

He handed the card to Nikki, who had an astounded expression. “And while I can’t bring back all the memories and good times you had there, we can create a new place for you to make new memories.” Luigi smile brightly. “If you’d like, you can choose what color we paint your floor when it’s done.”

Lindsey had stopped crying and was staring incredulously at the plumber. She finally broke her silence with a snort. The three started to laugh, trying to speak in-between fits of wheezing. Gooigi caught a few words from it. ‘Paint’ and ‘green’ being the ones he could pick out the best. Luigi was still smiling but had a light flush in his cheeks. He looked like he wasn’t sure if he was the butt of the joke or not, but he seemed happy the girls were no longer crying.

The three finally slowed their laughter and Lindsey floated forward. She motioned for Luigi to lift up his hands and moved them into place when he did. She clasped both his hands together, fingers intertwined, and summoned her wand in a puff of smoke. She twirled the wand in the air, speaking a magical phrase before tapping the wand on Luigi’s closed hands. She moved back, looking expectantly at the Italian man.

Luigi opened his hands and inside was a bowtie. The center was a bright red stone surrounded by purple ribbon. The ribbon looked glossy to the touch and had a small amount of glitter on the edges. The plumber marveled at the gift, turning it around in his hands and lifting it to see how it sparkled in the sunlight. The sisters looked happy, not a single sign of malicious intent in their spirits.

Gooigi walked over to take a closer look, listening as Nikki spoke. He caught the words ‘Gift’ and ‘Protection’, but nothing more. Luigi gave a soft thank you before the three floated off to bring the stuffed rabbit over to their wagon of reclaimed items. The man gently folded the bowtie up and slipped it into one of the pockets in his overalls.

He turned to Gooigi, giving him a relieved look, before whirling around quickly. He didn’t have a second to react before Polterpup rocketed into Luigi’s back, pushing him to the ground. Gooigi was quick to grab the man’s arm and spin him away from the concrete. His other hand catching Luigi behind his back to support him. The plumber looked up in surprise, free arm gripping Gooigi’s shoulder to get leverage.

The two froze in their position, looking into each other’s eyes. Though Gooigi loved the physical contact, he had to find a way to right Luigi without the man slipping again. His feet were positioned under Gooigi’s legs, so he wouldn’t have an easy time moving. His minds were split into two tracks, one calculating how to untangle themselves and the other adoring the moment. When the thinking half was finished, Gooigi trained his main gaze back to the plumber to start helping him up. Gooigi’s minds skipped, halting whatever conversation they were having. Luigi was looking up at him, face bright red. His fingers were gently quaking where they were settled on his arm. He had fully dropped his weight into Gooigi’s hold and was just… _waiting_.

Oh… he’d seen this before. From one of those old movies E. Gadd played in the background while he worked. He was… _dipping_ the man. And he was allowing it to happen! He had somehow gotten himself into one of the tensest dance positions and- and he didn’t know what to do!

He shattered the moment perfectly and stepped back, pulling Luigi up and righting him. The plumbers face was still crimson, but it looked as though his brain was finally coming back online. He jumped, hands slapping to his cheeks before turning away from Gooigi. He hid his flaming face in his hands; the white gloves doing nothing to hide it.

The goo was very confused. He’d never seen his friend have such a reaction before. The poor man was squirming back and forth, trying to shake off whatever it was he was feeling. Gooigi placed a hand on Luigi’s back to try and comfort him and the man jumped at his touch. He mumbled a few quick apologies and spun back around.

He coughed into his fist, eyes looking to the left, with an odd half smile half grimace. Gooigi tilted his head; understanding this expression was going to be a challenge.

Luigi looked back, still not looking him right in the eye. Not that it mattered. He could see from more places than his faux eyes. “S-sorry about that, I just… uh… slipped and, well, you know how clumsy I get and… Polterpup-.”

Luigi stopped, something clicking in his mind. He quickly searched for the dog, trying to find his out from this awkward situation. Animals were so convenient for that, weren’t they?

“Yes, Polterpup! He’s such a rambunctious dog, isn’t he?” The man let out a nervous laugh. “I should go find him. Thank for your help, see you later!”

With that, Luigi toddled off. His spine rigid as he tried to walk away as normally as possible. Gooigi’s head tilt only intensified; the only thing normal about that interaction was the stuttering. The blob watched as Polterpup jumped from behind a rock, startling his owner from his odd walk cycle. The pup had a small fossil from the Unnatural History Museum in his mouth and was pointing his tail to where Ug was sleeping. Luigi picked up the fossil and moved towards the ghost as the pup dove back into a pile.

That… that’s never happened before. There have been plenty of times they’ve shared close moments and Luigi was completely unphased. What was so different that the plumber would react in such a way?

Gooigi turned his head at the sound of a snicker. His eyes met one of the magician sisters who had apparently been watching the whole thing. They were positioned behind a tall piece of tiled wall from the kitchen. The three stopped their giggling when they were caught, only Ginny looking even slightly guilty. Lindsey smirked at Gooigi, giving him a thumbs up then leading her sisters back to the trailers set up outside the work area.

While Gooigi didn’t know much about the ghosts they captured at the hotel, he knew the look of mischief anywhere. And if what movies and media said were true, there would be a lot of gossip by the time the day was done.

He didn’t know why, but Gooigi let out a sigh. This was going to be a looooong rebuild.

-

Amazingly, the hotel took shape faster than anyone could have imagined. With the human workers out of the way, the ghostly inhabitants of the old hotel got to work. Scaffolding was constructed to harrowing heights while supports were laid. Concrete was poured, pipes were fastened, windows and appliances were ordered, and spirits were high as the bones of the new hotel came into place. After a mindbogglingly short build period, with E. Gadd’s called in favors, the ghost’s ‘man’ power, and Luigi and Peach’s combined monetary contributions, The Phantom Seasons was finally complete.

The new hotel was the shining beacon in the beautiful landscape it was built in. Despite E. Gadd being a scientist, he had a sharp eye for design and detail. And, while the décor aggressively resembled the peewee professor, it was just gaudy enough to look good on a luxury building.

The ghosts were ecstatic at their new home. Another 15 floors were constructed and decorated to ease the lost emotional connections to their old stomping grounds. True to their word, Lindsey, Nikki, and Ginny painted their lobby a tasteful green. Gooigi remembered well their dilemma when it came time for the finishing touches. They had stacks of paint sample cards splayed around the white lobby, arguing back and forth about which shade would make the best impression. In the end, they pulled a card from the stack that looked just like Gooigi’s goo tone and went with that.

Luigi and his family were passed around the building with the ghost’s demanding input on every little thing. It was amazing that none of them ever lost their temper from the constant barrage of questions. Though, Peach was a dignitary, Mario a hero, and Luigi a very patient man, so maybe it wasn’t that hard to believe. Before the façade fell away, they were treated like normal guests, and the opinions of living folk—who were the target demographic—were key to making the experience great.

It was a grueling time, but well worth it. Gooigi had never seen Luigi so happy around ghosts other than Polterpup. It was good for the man to have positive connotations with at least a few of the species. They put their heart and soul into the place and reaped the rewards of the smiling faces and elated souls of the ghosts.

But… with their job done… it was time for Gooigi to face the music.

With the work complete, everyone prepared to return home. The toads had found the bus untouched outside the gates and drove it up the entrance road. It settled in front of the white steps and lowered to the ground with a hiss. The ghosts retrieved any luggage they found and packed it into the cargo hold. The specters who had made the deal with E. Gadd sat outside the hotel to see their new friends off, looking for anyone who needed help packing up.

Gooigi watched numbly as Luigi brought his suitcase onto the bus. He didn’t think this would be how he felt when it finally happened. He expected sorrow or anger, maybe some indignation, but not this hollow feeling in his gut. Physically, there was nothing missing from that area, but the toll on his consciousness manifested the pit.

E. Gadd stood by his side, bag sitting next to him. The only thing of his that survived was a duffle half filled with clothes. He stored the Poltergust in there as well once he got it back from Luigi. He looked unperturbed, knowing that someday he’d call on Luigi again for one thing or another. And while Gooigi swore he wouldn’t be a willing test subject any longer, that didn’t mean he had free reign of the world.

Luigi returned to the steps to say his goodbyes; his family waiting in their seats for him to return. He stopped in front of Gooigi and E. Gadd, a little misty eyed.

“So… I guess this is goodbye…” Luigi looked down, sadness surrounding him like a cloud. Gooigi sagged a little, feeling weighed down by both their gloomy atmospheres. The plumber caught the dejected move and tried to cheer him up. “It’s not goodbye forever, right? There plenty of shenanigans we all get into for us to meet up again!”

He looked up. Yeah, he was right. E. Gadd always had his sights on phantasmal activity around the Mushroom Kingdom. There was bound to be another sight Gooigi would be useful at where they could meet again.

“Correct” E. Gadd said. “I’ve got a house I’ve been keeping up with the past few weeks that has some promising ghostly activity.”

Gooigi perked up.

“But… that house needs at _least _a few more months of observation before I move my research closer.” The blob shrunk. “And besides, there’s no need for you to capture any of them. It’s not like they’re Boos or anything.” He shrunk more, compressing himself so he was a few inches shorter than Luigi.

“Oh…” The plumber mumbled; all positiveness gone from his tone. He shuffled his feet; letting out a quiet cough and standing taller to try and change the mood.

“Anyway, even if we don’t get to see each other for a while, I’ll still remember the great times we had here… even if we almost died a few times.” Gooigi felt himself chuckled at that. He wasn’t afraid to let those noises slip anymore, even in front of the scientist. He tilted his head, capturing the moment as best he could. Luigi came forward and wrapped his arms around the blob and Gooigi returned the hug. Gooigi wrapped his arms around Luigi’s waist, lifting him a short distance off the ground. The plumber’s arms squeezed tight around his neck before the blob lowered him and he let go, turning to E. Gadd.

“Old man.” Luigi quipped.

“Sonny.” The professor replied.

They both smiled before extending a hand and giving a hearty handshake.

“Nice doing business with you, Mr. Lime Green.”

Luigi huffed. “I don’t even wear lime green.”

He turned to walk away, looking back at Gooigi one last time before loading onto the bus. The blob could feel the hollow pit inside him constrict. He thought often about whether or not he truly felt pain, but in this moment the stab of despair in his gut made him believe he did. Luigi took a seat in the back as Polterpup emerged from beneath the bus to sit next to him. Kneeling on the chair, Luigi raised his arm and began waving as the toad up front pulled away from the plaza and down the newly paved road.

Gooigi felt the world shift for a second, bringing him minutely closer to the retreating caravan. His body had taken a step forward without him knowing; his essence so in tune with his emotions it acted on its own. He was so tempted to take another step, to start running to catch up with the bus, but he knew he wasn’t meant to be where his Luigi was going. He moved his foot back, returning to his place by E. Gadd’s side. The man seemed not to have noticed his misstep, but Gooigi was never one to underestimate his perception.

Gooigi stood and watched and waited. He stayed even after the bus had dipped below the horizon line. He stayed even after the ghosts returned to the hotel. He stayed even when E. Gadd tried to call him inside.

The agency he’d learned to use during his adventure was sucked out of him. He’d thought all this time he’d finally learned to become autonomous, to be his own being, but the feeling of watching his friend move farther and farther away only served to prove him wrong. Gooigi was one half of a whole being; without his half he was nothing.

Without Luigi, Gooigi felt like nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know i'm killing you guys with the wait, but this was just too good of a cliffhanger not to end it early. Also, I've been hemming and hawing about this chapter for too long and I needed to post it before I went crazy.


	9. Hello again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gooigi depression hits hard.

One month.

It’s been one month since he fought King Boo.

One month since he helped complete The Phantom Resort.

One month since he’s taken human shape.

One month since he’s seen Luigi.

Gooigi packed himself away once morning turned to night the day their bus pulled away. He was deaf to the worried questions of the ghosts around him as he walked through the lobby and up to the elevator. He slipped through the elevator doors before they fully opened and slunk into E. Gadd’s new room. The scientist was surprised by his entrance; even more so when he entered into the Poltergust and stopped moving.

When he was lonely, he’d slide a lazily formed finger up and down the metal plate he’d once sought warmth from in hopes of the friction making the faintest of heat. E. Gadd tried removing him from the tank many times, telling him he needed to be packed away for the move back to the main lab. But the energy used to move had been sapped out of him the moment he settled.

‘The Poltergust is too bulky to carry you.’ He’d complain.

‘I have a nice new one you’ll like. It’s much bigger and has Bluetooth radio!’ He’d bribe.

It wasn’t until he presented Gooigi with a tank with built in heat did he finally move. The scientist remarked how simple his demands were for moving, how easy it was to appease the blob, but E. Gadd was never too perceptive about his mood. He attributed the goo’s lackadaisicalness to exhaustion and carried on with his work.

The professor packed him away with his other luggage and drove them back to his main lab. The place had a fine layer of dust from lack of use; the ghosts that did that work had been taken to the hotel for the ‘meet and greet’ that swayed E. Gadd in the first place. Once released, the ghosts got to work putting the lab back into functioning order.

Gooigi was plugged back into his observation device. The machine came to life and scanned over his from, assessing damage he’d taken and information he learned. For a moment, a brief moment, Gooigi felt a spike of panic in his center. He didn’t know how far the diagnostic test looked, how much it could find out about him and what he _really learned_.

But, as soon as it came, it was gone. It didn’t matter if E. Gadd knew. Let the man know that his ‘greatest invention’ was practically defective now. Let him know his drive for life was stalled and the only thing that could fix it was out of his reach.

The test concluded. Gooigi was poured out of his tank and into a new one. It was quite nice, heating, soft music he could turn on and off from a touchscreen his bioform actually worked on, and two-way hatch at the top so he could leave when ever he wanted. E. Gadd said nothing about this; he supposed it was a small act of kindness to try and apologize for whatever was bothering him. Gooigi was… touched? Sure, let’s go with touched, at the gesture, but he had no interest in leaving.

A day turned into two, and two turned into a week.

People were getting worried.

The ghost’s who frequented E. Gadd’s lab often looked his way, worry evident in their face and soul. They would fly up to his tank, gently tapping on the glass. They’d mumbled softly, trying to coax him out. He’d passively learned more Specter Speak from them; they spoke of getting some air or drinking some water. He hadn’t eaten since they returned from the hotel, he wasn’t hungry then either.

When the ghost’s failed to get him out or feed him, E. Gadd stepped in.

Gooigi wasn’t used to the troubled appearance the scientist wore. He offered the blob foods he’d never heard of before; saying that if he ate, he’d get to choose his dinner from now on. When Gooigi didn’t respond, E. Gadd went from troubled to uneasy. Even in his early days of existing, Gooigi was **very **interested in food. This kind of behavior wasn’t normal nor was it conducive to the goo living for much longer.

The scientist sunk a tube into his membrane and poured blended meats and fruits into it; the slush flowing into his body for his lower cells to digest. While Gooigi himself was not interested in eating, his body still demanded nutrients. It felt good to finally have a full ‘stomach’, but it unmasked the pain he’d so carefully suppressed in his fasting.

E. Gadd continued to tube feed him every day, by his own volition too. No hastily written sticky notes were placed on his tank, the scientist made it a point to actually _remember_ to feed him. He varied the food as much as possible, but it was—more often than not—blended. Maybe the professor thought he was sick. Humans ate soft foods when they were sick, right? Either way, Gooigi digested whatever the man put into his body anyway, he didn’t really care how it tasted. His sense of taste had dulled significantly.

By the second week, E. Gadd tried shocking him out of his funk.

The scientist unhooked him from his machine and brought him to a table in the middle of the room. He left and then returned with the Poltergust in his grip. Gooigi’s essence hurt at the sight.

“So, Gooigi, I’ve been doing basic maintenance on the Poltergust these past few days.” He knew, he’d been listening to every chunk of metal and screw that dropped to the floor. “And I noticed a few… _interesting_ anomalies, especially in your tank.”

He unhooked the container and dropped it on the metal table. The sound was deafening. The ghosts who’d been working around the room stopped at the noise. They looked nervously at each other. E. Gadd turned the glass tank around until Gooigi could see what the man had been talking about.

Gooigi blanched.

On the right wall of the glass were four massive gashes in the glass. They were deep, refracting the light above the table to the point that it looked like they were glowing. He’d forgotten about those. Gooigi formed a hand in the center of his goo; it was invisible to the outside observer. He flexed his fingers and they sharpened into claws. Just having them close to his membrane was splitting it open. He remembered getting lost in his furious need to protect Luigi he’d done something unthinkable.

He had evolved.

“I’m unsure on how these made their way into a ghost proof container. No one but you should be able to enter or exit this tank, but somehow these… claw marks… were created.” E. Gadd picked up the tank again and turned it around in his hands. “I’d be less befuddled if these were on the outside. Ghosts are known to be _rougher_ around the edges when they’re aggressive.”

One of the lab specters looked down at their hands, opening and closing them to see if they were aggressive too.

“But no, these scratches are inside. Either a ghost found their way into this tank and tried to, oh, I don’t know, mark their territory, or- “E. Gadd looked down at Gooigi. “You did it.”

The next few seconds were tense. Gooigi brought his main gaze up to match the scientist, waiting for his next move. There was a plethora of things he could do with this new discovery that Gooigi tumbled around in his minds. His new extremities could be enhanced and his purpose could change from ghost hunter to guard. He could be decommissioned for being too dangerous to human life—even if he’d never used his hands to hurt the living. Or, his essence could be extracted and used to create a new generation of goo to breed new enhancements.

E. Gadd took his lack or reaction as a sign to continue and end the growing tension.

“I know you’re a Biomorph of few words, but I’ll give you a chance to disprove my accusation.”

He lifted Gooigi’s canister from the table and unscrewed the two-way hatch at the top. The blob shivered from the feeling of fresh air hitting his membrane. He placed the tank back on the table and set the cap a few inches from it.

“If you did, stay where you are. If you didn’t, I’d like you to come onto the table. Just a simple yes or no. No need to defend your case beyond this.” E. Gadd stepped back. “I’m sure there are plenty of logical reasons those etches are there.”

Gooigi took a moment to weigh his options; his inner murmuring raising volume to a whisper. He could lie, imply he didn’t know where they came from. Its not like he had a tell when he was dishonest and E. Gadd did say he’d drop the matter. But what would that gain him in the end? A few more months of safety until something else manifested? He knew he was already acting irrationally with the fasting and the self-confinement, but he had nothing more to gain by pretending he was fine being a lab assistant or floor sweeper. He had nothing to lose.

Gooigi extended a line of goo outside the container and towards the center of the table. He added more weight to it as it went. It slowly formed an undefined arm; nothing from his preset shape showing. As it grew, it traveled further and further onto the table. E. Gadd raised a brow, taking note of the lack of definition in his form. He gave the arm more mass, just enough to bulk up the fingers.

Then he grabbed the unscrewed hatch.

Quicker than he exited, he brought the arm back in and slipped the lid onto the opening. From the inside, he screwed the cap back on as tight as he could before going still once more. He turned all of his gazes away from the scientist. He was prepared for whatever the professor had in store.

A few apprehensive minutes passed and nothing was happening. Gooigi expected to be forced from his tank and shoved into something sturdier to contain him. He expected to be treated like a weapon or a monster; maybe even a ticking time bomb. But, as he turned his gaze back behind him, he saw that E. Gadd wasn’t even looking at him. He had picked up the Poltergust tank from the table and was rolling it around in his hands. Perhaps admiring the claw marks. Perhaps making plans for something with stronger material.

After a moment, he put it down once more and grabbed Gooigi’s tank. The scientist walked over to his observation machine and plugged him in. Immediately, the heating element came on and surrounded the goo with a soothing warmth. Gooigi’s touch screen came back on, indicating he could now stream music from the database connected to his observation apparatus.

E. Gadd walked back to the center table, grabbed the damaged tank and a few gadgets from the counter, and headed to the door leading outside the lab.

Just as he put a hand on the door, he turned and looked back at Gooigi.

“Dinner tonight will be salmon meuniere, unblended.”

And with that, he left.

The ghosts servicing the appliances around the room seemed to unfreeze and returned to work. A Goob floated by Gooigi and wiped a smudge from the glass, giving him a small smile as if to say everything would be just fine. The blob made it known he’d seen the gesture and settled back into a dreamlike state. He made his choice, now it was time to see what it reaped him.

-

The letters started soon after.

-

E. Gadd soon took to writing in the afternoons during his coffee break. The smell of Lunoman Greenie coffee filled the room as the scientist scratched and scrawled away on a nice piece of stationary. Gooigi forgot how rich the coffee smelled; it invaded his senses. He wondered if he smelled that strongly to others. The letter would go on and on, from what Gooigi could see from a table away, and would contain at least two pages of text. He would grab his polaroid sometimes and snap a picture of seemingly random objects and personnel and stack them by the envelope. When he was done for the day, he’d carefully fold the paper into thirds and slip it into a specially embroidered envelope. The pictures would soon follow before he closed the pouch shut and seal it with a deep red wax.

The carefully made letter would be taken to the mailbox in front of the building and left for the daily mail runner to take it.

Even in his depressive state, he could see how unusual this new breaktime activity was. Modern technology lined the walls and floors of the lab since before he was created, he’d never seem E. Gadd without a remote or soldering pen in his hand. This traditionalistic way of communication was surely too tedious for him to bother with, but here he was, writing away like he didn’t have access to email.

Gooigi was too far away to see the address on the envelope and E. Gadd never spoke of who he was sending the letters to. One thing he did know was that the person he was communicating with responded very quickly.

By the start of week three, the scientist and his unnamed correspondent traded 8 letters and a plethora of pictures. The mystery responder began sending photos of their own. They weren’t polariods, just developed images from a digital camera. He could tell from the full gloss and no border like E. Gadd’s pictures. They were sometimes marked with notes in silver pen; more often than not the notes would be numbers.

He wouldn’t lie, these letters piqued his interest. E. Gadd only ever spoke to his associates through video call or email. He had a screen dedicated to a group chat for professors at the Spectral Mysteries section of some prestigious college. Most of the early images of Gooigi found their way onto that chat before he was given Luigi’s shape. For the scientist to suddenly start a paper correspondence was odd, and a little suspicious.

Gooigi actually made an effort to shift his main gaze around the room now instead of minor ones. His vision was much better with that one, but no matter how hard he trained his eyes on the paper he couldn’t make out the words. He was lucky enough to have Luigi’s literacy programmed into him as well as his shape, otherwise his frustration would be much worse.

His curiosity was blocked somewhat by his refusal to leave the tank. Begrudgingly, he’d started accepting food into his encloser. The tube was annoying and being hungry wasn’t as conducive for forgetting as he thought. Though, now the he was nutritionally satisfied, he could focus his sight better. It was just the tank’s glass that obscured his vision a bit too much.

E. Gadd could tell the letters interested him, and ‘forgot’ an opened letter from his mystery writer on Gooigi’s table. The blob shifted around to get a better look and studied the memo. The writers name was hidden by the lip of the envelope but their message was clear enough.

_I’ve been prepping the rooms you specified, I may have to do some major renovations if your equipment is too big. The windows are well lined so there’s no worry of a draft and I have some blackout curtains in the attic. I didn’t know so much was needed to keep them comfortable, but I’ve only ever seen your work from a surface level. Air humidity isn’t an issue, right? I’d hate if something happened to-_

The words stopped there; an image sat atop and concealed the rest of the letter from Gooigi. The penmanship was a little messy and tilted to the side, their cursive was tight but intermingled with print letters here and there. The picture was of a sparsely decorated bedroom. Dark hardwood floor and tasteful olive-green walls held a queen, maybe king, sized bed with black and cream sheets and comforter. Bow windows lined the longest wall and let in a beautiful evening light.

By the looks of it, E. Gadd was speaking with someone who wished to keep ghosts. They would have to pull up those hardwood floors and line it with metal or tile, ectoplasm could be acidic depending on which species you kept. The windows would have to go too, unless they were thinking of researching a species like the Sunset Devils who got their energy from sunlight.

He wasn’t a ghost expert, no, but he did like to read the many open textbooks around the lab from time to time.

Gooigi was a little disappointed; this wasn’t what he thought E. Gadd was so invested in these past few days. He’d expected a torrid love affair from ages ago or a long-lost cousin fighting for the inheritance. Wow, he should really stop listening to soap opera podcasts. It’s not his fault the story lines were so engaging.

The blob shifted around his tank so his metaphorical back was to the letter.

The sender was obviously wealthy, though. The paper had a lovely gold outline that, like most stationary of that type, probably had an initial at the top of the paper in gold leaf. And the envelope looked much sturdier than the ones E. Gadd bought.

As Gooigi thought about it, it did make sense for him to be messaging a fellow ghost aficionado. Ghost keeping was a dangerous pastime if you weren’t prepared and getting help from a leading figure in that field was best. Plus, E. Gadd could be using this as a chance to butter up a potential sponsor for future endeavors. Gooigi hummed, accepting this little saga had come to an end.

Sometime later the scientist came and retrieved the letter; another envelope sealed and stamped in his hand. He uttered something about Gooigi ‘not destroying the lab while he was gone’ before he left the blob to his dormancy.

The letters slowed over time, but E. Gadd was far from following behind. He’d launched himself into a new project that required the use of the containment corner. Large black tarp surrounded the mystery invention to keep the blinding light of sparks from stunning the ghost’s watching various experiments while the scientist was busy. Gooigi kept to himself, acknowledging ghosts who checked on him from time to time and continued doing what he’d been doing since he came… home.

-

Of course, when has E. Gadd ever let him be.

-

Week four snuck up on Gooigi. Even when he was watching the days crawl by on the calendar, time slipped by as he went in and out of stasis. Sometimes, he could only tell when time was passing when food was dropped unceremoniously onto his form. He still refused to leave the tank to eat, so an Oozer took the job of pressing solids into the compartment with their noodley arms.

E. Gadd’s work on his latest invention was close to complete; he’d removed the tarp and moved the machine closer to his normal workstation. The monitors above the scientist’s desk were projecting blueprints and diagnostics for the measuring units attached to whatever he was making. A new letter from the mystery ghost enthusiast sat on a metal bench, unopened.

“Mhmm, ah, Goobert, could you help me attach this piece? All you have to do is hold it in place.” A Goob floated next to the scientist and gripped a circuit board in his translucent hands. E. Gadd reached in and began screwing the large board into the designated places while a Slinker wheeled a cart full of parts over.

“Perfect. Slinky and Ooozella, start placing the screens and buttons, they’ll connect automatically.” E. Gadd put his hands on his hips, a satisfied smile on his face. “Yes yes, this is coming together quite well.”

He watched as the specters plucked delicate button covers from the cart and placed them on their corresponding nodes. The buttons instantly clicked into place, glowing slightly when the machine registered they were connected. The contraption was plugged into the wall for its power, but an open slot in the side showed a core would replace the inefficient wall voltage.

“Now.” The professor hopped off his stool and walked over to a sheet covered object. “Time for the pièce de résistance.” He gripped the white sheet and yanked it backward, uncovering the massive unit underneath.

It was a tank, much _much _larger than what Gooigi had ever been put in. The glass was sandwiched between two caps, each with a circular opening at the end. Small wires blended inside the glass with tiny sensors dotted here and there. The bottom of the container was metal instead of glass and had two depowered sensors and a screen. Low friction ball bearings sectioned off the metal caps so the container could spin. Outside the caps were a few connecting wires and cables.

This must be for the ghost enthusiast, Gooigi thought, marveling at the machine. It looked like it was going to hold something strong; the glass was far too thick and reinforced for it not to be. He never thought the writer would ever need equipment as advanced at this. Perhaps they weren’t as ignorant about ghost’s as Gooigi thought.

Gooigi’s interest rose as he watched a two Slinkers lift the large capsule over to its holster in the contraption E. Gadd was finishing up. When it was placed, the scientist connected the wires and pulled a lever on both sides to lower clamps onto the outside of the ball bearings.

“Wonderful, I was worried the clamps would slip but the rubber backing is doing quite well.” He tested the grip, pushing down on the mechanism. He placed a hand on the glass and spun the container, watching the speed to determine possible fixes.

When he seemed satisfied with the structural integrity of the tank, he moved to the cart the ghosts brought earlier. On the bottom shelf was a green glowing core the shape of a battery. It was about as large at two soda cans and just as thick; it pulsed with an other worldly energy. E. Gadd pulled on a pair of black gloves sitting next to the core and gently lifted it from the metal shelf. Carefully, the scientist moved over to the open hatch and eased the core inside. The helpers floated back a few feet as the scientist worked, unsure if the thing would explode or not.

With a loud click, the core was secured to the machine and E. Gadd stepped back to admire his work.

“Unplug the containment unit, Goobert. It’s time to see if this thing is stable or not.”

The Goob grimaced as he moved over to the power outlet. A shake in his hands, the ghost gripped the plug and popped it out of the socket. The small lights beneath the buttons shut off as the device lost power.

For a moment, it looked like the core was a shiny fluke. The machine broke the silence as a loud jolt of electricity flowed through the metal; tiny bolts shooting up into the rafters and destroying several test tubes nearby. The ghosts took cover behind whatever they could as E. Gadd stayed in the open. The scientist flicked on some dark lenses to help with the brightness of the sparks. The powerful burst of energy subsided as it leveled out and the buttons started to glow once more.

With more electricity running into the device, two sets of tubes appeared on both ends of the tank. They were propelled forward and clicked into the circular openings on each caps. With a satisfying clunk, the tubes secured themselves. Power surged through the cables connecting the tank to the contraption and the two depowered sensors came to life. Little glyphs that Gooigi couldn’t make out flickered on them as the screen turned on.

A metallic voice filtered from a small speaker somewhere on the control panel.

**Containment and Observational Unit powered on and ready for specimens. Internal tank temperature is 72° F. Heating element is primed. Tank cleanliness at 100%. Please identify the specimen you would like to house on the control panel.**

E. Gadd let out a laugh of excitement, clapping his hands wildly at his functioning invention. He trotted around the machine, checking for loose wires or dead zones before returning to the front. He wheeled his chair around and climbed on top, moving in front of the control panel and pressing keys so fast they couldn’t finish the confirmation sound.

A hatch on the left side of the device opened and an entrance unit popped out. It was the perfect shape to accept something like the tank Gooigi was in…

Wait, what?

The scientist hopped off his chair and made his way to Gooigi’s table. He unhooked the blob’s tank from its holster and made his way over to the new invention. Gooigi squirmed, unsure of why E. Gadd wanted him in that thing anyway. His container was connected to the entrance unit and the two-way door on the valve shot open. A light suction coerced him out of the tank and through the tube to the main container.

The tubes were nice and wide, making it easier for Gooigi to ease through them. They were a flexible plexiglass material instead of pure plastic for better movement. The blob traveled up the tube system and rounded the corner leading to the main event. The suction had stopped halfway through the journey so it was just him slinking along to get where he was going. Gooigi slowly entered the tank, looking around with every gaze he had to try and figure out the contraption before he fully committed.

When he was completely inside, a flexible door slid closed over the tube. He tested it and found that it could be opened easily; it was most likely used to keep outside air from getting in. The tank was spacious—as spacious as a glass pill could be—and looked to have the same amenities as his current container. The sensors responded to his touch, flashing the glyphs from before but now Gooigi could see them clearly. They were simple symbols for different commands. Heating, cooling, music, water, air humidity, and spin.

He avoided spin for now, he’d just eaten.

Gooigi was impressed, which wasn’t all that rare, but this was definitely the best he’d seen. He looked out the glass and watched E. Gadd and the ghosts gauging his reaction. An almost invisible button stood out from in front of him on the glass’ surface. He pressed a vestigial hand on it and the glass went frosted. He couldn’t see out and—from the noises of the specters outside—they couldn’t either.

He pressed the button again, clearing the frost. It went slower than it came, giving him time to, I don’t know, present himself or something before it was all gone.

E. Gadd cleared his throat. “I’ve been keeping track of your growth these past few weeks, Gooigi. Consider me surprised that you’ve added ¼ of your total body mass in only four weeks. You never showed this kind of growth before your first field mission, but I guess all the things you experienced needed more room to settle.”

He grew that much? Sure, the tank felt a little stifling at times, but that was normal… right? Didn’t growth spurts usually come with ravenous appetites? He hasn’t felt the need to eat since- since a month ago. Gooigi followed E. Gadd to the right side of the tank and watched the man fiddle with the control panel.

“Originally, I was going to make this with the dimensions of your current tank, but if this trend continues, the amount of space I provided should be enough to sustain you.” The scientist raised a finger and tapped on the glass. “However, this is still a good size. Sending this baby over to your new residence will be a breeze!”

Gooigi blanched.

New… residence…

In the span of a single breath, Gooigi’s form shot out in multiple direction. Spikes of his bioform slamming onto the walls around him as his body went rigid. Don’t tell me. Don’t tell me that man is giving me away to some ghost freak?! His minds screamed in unison. E. Gadd flinched backward, losing his footing and falling to the ground. The ghosts began panicking, flying around the room in a flurry to try and figure out what to do.

He stumbled to get up, fixing his glasses and Gooigi began pressing harder and harder against the interior of the tank. A warning flashed onto the glass, something about internal pressure rising, he didn’t care. There was no way in hell E. Gadd was leasing him out to some yuppy ghost enthusiast just to get some money. True, he disliked it here, but he’d rather rot here than with some fan boy.

“N-now, hold on there, sonny, lets calm down here. What about the new tank do you not like? I can add a snack compartment, just give me a few days.” E. Gadd rambled.

Gooigi’s gaze pierced through the scientist, looking directly into his soul. He read the man’s genuine confusion. He stopped pushing against the glass and the warning blipped away. His form stayed rigid, but he forced himself to listen to the professor’s longwinded speech.

“Alright, alright, I’m going to play back that last bit and you tell me what got you riled up, alright?” E. Gadd straightened out his lab coat to ground himself.

“Growth rate…” Gooigi kept still.

“Uh, good size tank.” He didn’t move.

“Sending the tank…” The blob felt his membrane crawl.

“New residence- “Gooigi’s form spiked, it was reminiscent of a cat puffing up in anger. E. Gadd’s face lit up in recognition.

“Oh! Well, I was under the impression you’d be happy living with… wait a minute.” The professor put a hand on his chin, stroking it. He let out a nervous laugh before hiding—poorly—with a cough. “I never told you about that, did it?”

Gooigi bristled.

“To be fair! I’ve been rather busy with all this new stuff, for you, I might add, and it seemed to have slipped my mind. No matter, I’m sure you’ll change your tune when I show you- “E. Gadd slipped a hand behind his back. “This!” He pulled a letter, the letter from before, from behind him. Gooigi watched a shivering Goob slip away from behind the scientist.

He sidled up to the machine, popping open a hidden slot in the glass and slipping the envelope through. Gooigi relaxed his body, unlatching from the areas his body hit. He formed a clawed hand and perfectly sliced open the top of the envelope. He ignored E. Gadd’s gasp of amazement as he pinched the letter and a photograph from the folder and pulled it out. He set the picture aside, turning to the note first. It was one page, only half written on, in the same odd cursive and print mix. He unfolded the paper and read.

_Dear Professor E. Gadd,_

_I was able to clear enough room for the observation thingy. I didn’t think it needed to be that big, but you did say he was going through a growth spurt so I guess I understand. Things have been quite energetic since you offered to let him come live with us. I didn’t think it was possible so I never asked, tell him I’m sorry for that. I hope he’ll be comfortable in a regular old house. It’s a little old fashioned but I remodeled it before the vacation so it should have a better atmosphere. Anyway, thank you for working so hard to make this happen, I know how busy you get around the Halloween season. I look forward to your next letter and Gooigi’s new tank. _

_ Sincerely, Luigi_

_P.S. Tell him Polterpup says hello._

Gooigi’s eyes widened, something electric bubbling up inside him. He dropped the letter and shot out another hand to the picture. He pulled in all his gazes to looks at it. It was a photo of the bedroom from before, but now the bed had been moved and the far wall was vacant. A tape measure on the floor showed 8 feet, the length of the machine, and a little drawing in silver pen atop the picture’s gloss. It was a cartoony Luigi and Polterpup, big smiles on their faces, with an arrow pointing to the empty area with the note ‘Gooigi goes here’ next to it.

The photo slipped through his hands as a sweet warmth encapsulated his body. The lackadaisical depression that had been weighing him down the past month slipped off as the feeling of surprise and joy sprung up. His minds, both upper and lower, were rejoicing. Their murmur had rose to a soft singing, the melody traveled across his form and relaxed him completely. It felt like a weight was being lifted from his soul. The feelings he’d been suppressing returned, ones like hunger and tiredness overtaking the others.

Giddily, he thought, _Luigi wants me to live with him_, Before the world went dark around him and he slipped into his first dreamless sleep.


	10. Nice to see you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gooigi gets to see the house

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a Blueprint of Luigi's House to avoid any confusion when explaining rooms! Hope y'all like it, and if you have any suggestions I'll be glad to make updates.  
https://karatecake.tumblr.com/post/189765980442

Gooigi awoke in his original tank; his consciousness was fuzzy and he felt heavy. He looked around; his sight was dimmed slightly. He was hooked back into his observation device, the sounds of it running routine diagnostics slowly became clearer and clearer as he rose from his odd sleep.

He’d never had his body react in such a way, not even when he was consumed by the T-Rex. The blob pondered but did not take long finding the possible reason. He wasn’t exactly taking the best care of himself, he begrudgingly admitted. Sure, he ate and he rested, but for a month he willingly gave up his will to live. It must have put an insurmountable amount of pressure on his psyche to have it shut down on him when he fully relaxed.

Gooigi rolled around his tank to get his goo moving. It was still heavy from sleep. The feeling of the glass on his membrane had a numbness to it, like his sense of touch was at half function. He didn’t understand why humans would willingly put themselves in that sort of stasis if it just made you useless when you came out of it. His version of sleep was much better, no grogginess necessary.

For the first time since it was offered to him, Gooigi tentatively pushed a tendril of goo outside the two-way hatch and looked around. The cool lab air prickled at his membrane. He missed the feeling of being cold. It was closer to his actual body temperature than the heat that filled his tank. He swept the room with his main gaze to try and find E. Gadd’s newest invention. His sight ended up looking over the large contraption multiple times because it was missing its tank, but he finally found it amongst the clutter.

The main tank had been disconnected and the machine was dormant. It sat next to a large white box with odd shaped foam rectangles shoved inside. Another smaller white box was sealed and stamped beside the first box. Without the glass getting in the way, Gooigi could see the mailing label on top. He melted a little when he saw Luigi’s name in the recipient area. So, it wasn’t a dream, he thought, so relieved Luigi actually remembered him.

He expanded his tendril from the tank til it touched the metal table. Once the bridge was formed, he pushed himself from the container and added more mass until he’d left the confines of the glass. E. Gadd was right, he’d definitely grown. Slowly, he took the signal from the chip in his ectoplasm and molded his body into Luigi’s shape. Legs dangling off the table, he pushed into his hands and landed on the floor. The slap from his goo hitting the concrete woke a few sleeping ghosts; they jolted up and cried in surprise at seeing him.

A Goob—Goobert, if he remembered correctly—flew up to him, a wide smile on his face. He circled around the goo, chittering in Specter Speak. Gooigi caught his name and ‘recovered’ from it. A swirl of sadness came and went in his gut. He felt bad for scaring the ghosts with his outburst, he hadn’t meant to get angry, it was just the misunderstanding that fueled it. And… and the whole not eating thing got them worried too. Maybe they weren’t as indifferent to him as he thought. Goobert gave him a swift pat on the head before swinging around and settling back in his napping spot.

Standing here in human form again was… weird, but also refreshing. He often complained to himself about how being forced to keep a shape for so long, but something about returning to it after a long break felt nice. It felt like a good stretch after a long nap, or something like that. Gooigi looked down and a sense of wrong pervaded his minds. Was he supposed to be this tall? He picked up his feet and examined how his goo and the chip worked around his growth. It made his legs longer, disproportionately so. Luigi already had long legs so it looked absurd on him.

He hummed thinking about how to remedy this. It wasn’t a vanity thing either, if he was too top heavy, he’d fall over much more. It would be like learning to walk all over again. Having his head spread across the floor was not fun. Gooigi’s head snapped up, he’d had a wonderful idea. He toddled carefully over to E. Gadd’s desk and riffled through his stack of textbooks. Biology, Chemistry, Ghost Almanac, and… Anatomy! Yes, that’s the one. He slipped the book from the stack and started flipping through the pages. He had to be careful with how much pressure he exerted, his goo was already sticking to the thin paper pages.

After a short while of searching, Gooigi landed on a page with proportional humans inside. His stomach turned at the sight of their organs on display and labeled. It was uncomfortable, having such delicate things inside a soft outside with only sparse sprinklings of bones to protect it. There was just too much stuff in there! Gooigi looked closer at the large worm thing in the human’s stomachs. Was that prehensile? Perhaps it was a defense mechanism if the stomach was ever opened.

He shook his head, trying to get back on track. He looked at the proper proportions of the male one, taking note of how long the legs were in contrast with the torso. Gooigi stood back, putting his arms out in a T pose like the anatomy book showed and began moving around his mass to see what worked. He displaced the length in his legs a small bit and brought down where his pelvis would be. Lengthening his torso downward and putting his legs at the correct length for proper weight displacement. He was thankful for his form for having faux clothes, he didn’t want to sculpt the muscles in the diagram onto his body. They were far too complicated.

Gooigi was satisfied at the change, but he still had extra goo he needed to place somewhere else. Human women seemed to put their extra weight in the legs and hips and human men in their shoulders. He hummed, that seemed simple enough. The extra goo traveled upward and expanded his shoulders out a small bit. It made a big difference when he compared it to the width of his original form, but anatomically it was all correct. Gooigi trilled happily, shutting the book and putting it back in the stack.

It was a quick fix to update the chip with his changes. He matched the electrical output from the chip with his essence and input some signals to hopefully change the piece of metals information. If it didn’t work, he’d just manually move some goo around, no problem.

Gooigi looked over at the tank and the white box he’d spotted earlier. Now that he was closer, he could see a short box with packing material in it. There was form core cut in such a way to perfectly fit the machine during shipping. E. Gadd probably had the ghosts working on the for quite a while; he’s always been protective of his work. He walked over grabbing some foam in his hands to feel the texture.

As he did, the doors to the lab opened. E. Gadd entered, gaze trained on the floor, with a phone pressed to his head.

“Yes… yes, I know it’s a large package, but… Yes, but you’ve never had an issue sending something that size before! Of course I… of course I know the address is residential. Is that your issue? I’m not sending a bomb, you know!”

The scientist paced back and forth, arguing with the person on the other side of the call. Frustration was a good look on E. Gadd; even if he was a genius he still had to deal with the rules of society.

“I’ll give you the number of the person I’m sending it to. Luigi will be more than happy to… Yes, that Luigi. Yes! That Luigi, the brother of Mario, Luigi. Friend of Princess Peach Luigi. It really shouldn’t matter if he’s friends with the princess when I’m trying to send my masterpiece!”

He stopped, face aflame. “Oh, so now you can send it. Great, great, just be here tomorrow morning with the truck. Uh huh… yes, goodbye.”

He dropped the phone on the table, sagging onto the metal top. He let out a painful sigh and pushed himself upright. E. Gadd turned and jumped at the sight of Gooigi. A gasp escaping him before he caught himself.

“Gooigi! You’re awake!” He puttered over, walking around the goo with a concentrated look. “I was worried your little episode would do some damage to your integrity but you look rather sturdy.” He adjusted his glasses, looking up at Gooigi’s face. “Did you get taller?”

Gooigi nodded and E. Gadd poked at his arms. “And it looks like you’ve adjusted to your growth too, very good. It looks like you’ve gained about 2 inches in height.” He grabbed one of his arms and raised it up, looking underneath and around. He stood on the tips of his toes and checked the thickness of his shoulder with his index finger and thumb.

“Good idea bulking up your top half. As you grow, your weight will too and you’ll be more likely to lose an arm if it decides to separate from a weak connection.”

E. Gadd dropped the arm and moved to the foam core, grabbing the one Gooigi was holding and tossing it back in the box.

“I’ve finished packing the tank and arranged for the shipping, so all that’s left is this big boy.” He thumped the top of the contraption in emphasis. “The movers should be here tomorrow morning, which means we’ll have to have you ready before then.”

Gooigi tilted his head. Ready? Ready for what? E. Gadd concluded him a finished product before he sent him off with Luigi. All he had to do was get loaded into the tank for travel purposes… right?

The professor saw his confusion but kept quiet as he walked over to his main table. He briefly acknowledged the moved books before opening a metal box sitting in the center of the table. It was a needle with a pale green fluid inside; the tip of the syringe was wide so more of the contents could be released at once. When the tube caught the light, the mixture inside reflected it harshly giving it a metallic sheen. E. Gadd turned to Gooigi and motioned for him to come forward.

Hesitantly, he complied, ready to drop form and escape if things turned sour.

The scientist took his arm and pulled him forward so he was a foot away from the man. He opened his mouth, saying, “Now, hold still for just a moment, we haven’t a second to waste.” Before plunging the syringe into his chest and pushing down the plunger. Gooigi didn’t have the time to react as the metallic liquid entered into his body and dispersed. His minds were going haywire, sending searches all throughout his ectoplasm to locate the mystery liquid.

Gooigi felt his temper rise as the search brought up nothing, unhappy with the silence the man was giving him.

E. Gadd gave him a cursory look and set the empty needle down.

“This should take about a day to kick in, I would’ve liked to give it to you yesterday but you went and passed out on me.” E. Gadd quipped. He noticed Gooigi’s rising anger and rushed to get out an explanation before he went all spikey again.

“What I gave you was an enhancement to your current outer layer,” He started. “You aren’t exactly the most protected thing I’ve created. You’re weak to almost all the elements other than wind, so I thought beefing up your ‘skin’ would help while you’re away. It wouldn’t be fair to Luigi if you went and melted on him while trying to help him make soup or something.”

What… what did soup have to do with this? Gooigi huffed, not fully understanding the rambling professor.

“Basically, this new membrane upgrade will make it possible for you to interact with certain substances for longer than usual. I can’t very well make you immune to these things, your genetic makeup doesn’t allow for that.” Aka, I don’t want you to become immune to your greatest weakness, thanks E. Gadd. “But I can offer you a reprieve from them for a short while.”

He walked around the blob, taking the empty syringe and dropping it in a hazmat bucket for later disposal.

“By tomorrow morning, you’ll be a whole new biomorph. Isn’t that exciting?”

E. Gadd posed a good question. Yes, it would be very exciting. To finally see Luigi after all this time. To finally be free of E. Gadd’s meddling for a little longer. Heck, to finally see Polterpup again. And yes, being able to stick his hand in water for more than a nanosecond would be rather nice.

Gooigi nodded, agreeing with the scientist’s sentiment.

Tomorrow would most likely be the most exciting day of his life.

-

Gooigi felt like he was going to throw up.

Which was an amazing feat, considering he didn’t have a stomach or a human digestive system. Maybe that’s what that worm thing was in humans, the thing that made them want to yack.

Compared to all the other emotions he’s been able to explore recently; anxiety has been the absolute worst. Worst invention ever, too anxious to work, he could hear Thought E. Gadd mutter. What sick twisted god thought making his creatures anxious was a good idea? All it does is make him upset and twitchy.

Not even when he was faced with the rabid souls of the dead did he feel such an awful concoction of fear and anticipation. Yes, the anticipation is the worst part. Waiting for something you’ve no idea about to happen, letting fate dictate whether you sink or swim… Ok, he needs to stop that train of thought. Is this what Luigi feels? All the time?! Gooigi let out a pitiful sound. He heard physical contact is good for humans, maybe he can offer that to his friend in his trying times. He’ll be like Polterpup, but green.

Back to the main event, Gooigi rolled around in his tank to try and get a better view of the passing hills and trees. E. Gadd packed him away in his smaller container and buckled him up in the front seat of his new jalopy. The old one was crushed when the hotel fell but leave it to the professor to find the same car in the same condition with the same paint color. The vibrations from the engine and the road heavily disrupted his ectoplasm, making it near impossible for his gazes to see anything other than shaky lines. He felt like a jar of silly putty being thrown around by an ornery child.

This, combined with the anxiousness, was the cocktail previously mentioned as nausea that Gooigi was living currently.

The only good thing going for him was how solid his attachment to the tank’s glass was. That membrane upgrade E. Gadd forced on him was working rather well. It fully set an hour before he was packed away. The scientist did a few tests before they left. A drop of water from a pipet hit Gooigi’s new skin and slid right off, not breaking down his form like normal. A lit match simply darkened the membrane instead of boiling it. And a thump from E. Gadd’s fist bounced right off like it had never been hit.

For once, both E. Gadd and Gooigi were satisfied with the tests.

He didn’t know what sort of activities he’d be doing in a domestic setting that would warrant such an upgrade, but E. Gadd was human so he must have given it for a reason. At least he could finally touch water. It was such an illusive substance. So tactile and form fitting; it was whatever it was molded to be. He was envious of water in that way. He had failed in becoming what his goo was molded to do and gained emotions. But his failure as one thing allowed him to become another, in a sense, so it wasn’t so bad.

E. Gadd broke his reflection when he picked up a call from his phone. The shuddering from the car also distorted noise for the blob, but the telltale inflection from a certain green plumber cut through the noise. Gooigi flailed in his tank, trying to position himself to hear Luigi’s voice from the other end of the call.

“I have the equipment heading to your house ahead of me, so be prepared to welcome them in my stead.” He shuffled the phone to his other hand and gripped the wheel to make a turn. The scientist clipped something and the whole car jumped from the impact. Gooigi feared his tank would come loose but it held firm. “Now now, no need to be worried. Horace is a good friend of mine who has ferried my work before. He and his team know how to move everything into place.”

Gooigi strained again to hear Luigi’s reply. He sounded nervous. Perhaps he didn’t want to invite strangers into his home. E. Gadd waited for the plumber to stop before he continued.

“I know you’ve never met them before, but you don’t have to make them coffee or anything. Just, oh, I don’t know, show them to the room and they’ll get to work.” The professor huffed. “I know you’re jittery about ghosts, but you really don’t need to be nervous around people too.”

The blob listened for his reply, but they had pulled onto an unpaved road and the noise drowned out his plumber’s voice. E. Gadd said a few more things before ending the call and turning his attention back to the road.

Hearing Luigi’s voice set the anxiety in his gut aflame; it was somehow worse than before but also calmer. A wave of interesting feelings washed over the blob. He stopped trying to categorize them all and just let them go. The anticipation was still there—along with the anxiety—but knowing that Luigi was waiting for him on the other side of that phone put him at ease.

He had nothing to worry about until he got there. All he had to do was just wait.

-

Gooigi came out of a light stasis when the jalopy rolled to a stop. E. Gadd moved the gear shift to park and yanked the parking lever up so the car locked into position. He unbuckled his belt and waited as someone opened his door for him. A large man wearing a cap yanked open the door and E. Gadd hopped out.

“Sorry I’m late, took a wrong turn into a neighborhood. How is progress going?”

The man, Horace from his nametag, hummed and looked off at something Gooigi couldn’t see.

“Things’r alright, Mr. Luigi has been very ‘commodating considerin yer absence. We’ve unloaded the big one in the room and all we need ‘s you to direct hookup.” Horace bit a piece of wood in his mouth and swapped it to the other side of his lips. It was a toothpick, if Gooigi remembered correctly. E. Gadd’s friend used them to eat small cheeses the few times they’d come over.

The professor nodded and waved Horace back to work. He walked over to the other side of the car and opened the blob’s door, unhooking him from the seat and settling his tank under his arm. He closed the door and began walking towards the house.

Gooigi gaped, his was far larger than he first thought. It was just Luigi and Polterpup living here, but it looked like a family home. The house was one story, but it looked to have quite a few rooms. Green windows complimented a roof of the same color with the wall being painted a soft cream. A large red chimney stuck out from the back of the house and a lovely little garden of flowers sat before the front door. They looked well-tended to, as did the shrubs below each of the windows.

He watched as Horace and another worker lifted the smaller of the two white boxes through the open front door. They stopped in the foyer, speaking to someone before continuing out of sight. E. Gadd jostled the tank while repositioning it, shaking Gooigi up in the process. When his sight evened out from the disturbance he looked up and saw him.

Luigi stepped out from the entrance and looked at the professor, his gaze shifted down to the blob and a small smile graced his features. He had a hand on the doorway as he watched them approach. He was dressed in a dark green turtleneck, hat nowhere in sight. A pair of well-worn jeans continued down over top of some dark loafers. His hair was tousled, like he’d been running his hands through it. He pushed off the door as they got close enough and walked over; his hands fiddling with the hem of his sweater.

Gooigi stared at the man, not believing it was truly Luigi standing in front of him. He looked good, like he’s been getting enough rest to counteract the stress from before. His minds were humming, talking to each other about utter nonsense. They spoke of blue eyes and soft skin. Of flowers and chimney smoke. He didn’t know how long he let himself drift until E. Gadd slapped the top of his tank.

“Come on now, I can’t carry you forever. You’re getting too heavy.”

Gooigi tripped over himself, somehow, to get out of the tank. E. Gadd turned it so the cap was facing the ground and Gooigi threw himself from the container. He wasn’t expecting the pavement to be so cold; his new skin shirked away from the frigid concrete. The chip activated, pushing his goo back into human form. He noticed a good portion of his body was being moved upward; his changes to the chip had been successful after all. He watched as Luigi’s eyes widened as he grew taller than the plumber. His shoulders widening out to how he proportioned it the day before. His new membrane settled into place as his body finished its transformation.

He looked down at Luigi—which was exceedingly weird—and waited for the man’s reaction. His expression was one of shock; his mouth opened as he gaped at the blob. Gooigi shuffled a bit; he’d never been so scrutinized by the man before, it was a little embarrassing. He let out a noise to bring Luigi back to his senses.

It seemed to work as Luigi blinked a few times before jumping slightly. A flush spread across his cheeks and he began to babble.

“A-Ah, sorry about that. It’s just… you’re just,” He took a fist to his mouth and coughed. “Well… you really did grow, didn’t you?”

Gooigi nodded, he directed his face to display a smile on his lips. The sight of the smile made Luigi laugh. He opened his arms, waving Gooigi in for hug. The blob stepped forward and wrapped his arms under Luigi’s, lifting him from the ground. The plumber let out a “Woah!” as he was hoisted a few inches off the ground. He recovered and returned the hug wholeheartedly.

Luigi’s sweater was soft against his skin and the man was warm in his arms. All that anxiety he’d been feeling melted away; this is exactly what he’d been missing all that time. Finally, being reconnected with his other half left him feeling happier than he’d ever been. He gave the plumber one more squeeze before he lowered him to the ground.

“Goodness, you’re even more solid too! What did E. Gadd feed you?” He stepped back, taking another look at the blob.

“It was actually a challenge getting him to eat! Must’ve been on one of those new-fangled diets before I put that to a stop.” The professor walked to Gooigi’s side, acknowledging Luigi with a cockeyed look.

Luigi offered him a similar look in return and then extended a hand. E. Gadd slapped his palm and shook his arm harder than necessary.

“Good to see you again, sonny. How have things been going with the installation?”

Luigi laughed awkwardly, “Well, we were waiting for you to show up and I know you told me not to make them coffee,” E. Gadd gave him a look. “So, I made them tea instead.”

The scientist rolled his eyes. “Of course you did.”

“I had them unpack the big one and put it in the guestroom, but Horace wanted to wait for you before we tried getting the other package.”

“E. Gadd hummed. “Yes, that was a good choice. Without a delicate hand that machine can be prone to spontaneous combustion.” Luigi choked, coughing to try and dislodge the spit from his airway.

“S-s-spon-spontaneous combu-!”

“Now, no need for that, my boy, the good professor is here so there’s no need to dwell on it.” E. Gadd waved off Luigi’s panicked stuttering and made his way up the sidewalk to the front door. Gooigi placed a hand on the plumber’s shoulder to break him from his flabbergasted state. He sighed and gave Gooigi a grateful look, motioning for the blob to walk inside with him.

The house was well warmed to combat the cold fall air outside. As soon as he walked in, Gooigi was faced with an open dining room to his left with a well sized table. It was covered with a nice white tablecloth with a vase of sweet-smelling blue flowers in the middle. Past the dining room was a simple but well updated kitchen. A kettle was placed off to the side of the stove and a tea set sat next to it.

He followed Luigi further into the house until they reached the living room. A few of Horace’s workers were sitting on the couch and sipping the tea Luigi mentioned making earlier. They halted their conversation as the three walked in. One gave E. Gadd a nod while the others trained their eyes on Gooigi. To be fair, he was a walking jello cup, it was normal they’d want to stare. But their eyes pierced into him in a way he hadn’t seen before. It was… judgy. Not even the ghosts looked at him that way.

He pretended he couldn’t see them and took in the room. A well sized television sat in the corner of the room, it had on the news with its volume almost to zero to encourage socializing. A large, red brick fireplace sat on the far wall. It was lit, but the fire was more of a red pile of coals than anything. Two windows were half covered on the back wall to keep the atmosphere in the room nice and cozy. A nice chair sat uninhabited with a cup of something sitting on a table next to it. It was well loved and had a soft blanket folded over the back of it.

Off to the right of the fireplace was a short hallway with a few closed doors. To the left of the living room was another hallway where Horace immerged and waved in the men sitting on the sofa. They set down their teacups on the accompanying saucers and moved to the guest room.

Luigi walked over and picked up the empty cups, leaving E. Gadd and Gooigi in the living room while he put them away.

“Hmm, I love what you’ve done with the place, my boy. Its much cozier than the last time I saw it.” The scientist half yelled so Luigi could hear him.

“The last time you saw it you pixilated me through my tv!” Luigi retorted. He came around the corner. “Which, by the way, I had to replace. Apparently sci-fi teleportation breaks older models.” He went back to the kitchen. The water turned on so he couldn’t hear if the professor replied.

E. Gadd huffed, moving to the guest room to direct the workers. Gooigi took to exploring the room while he waited.

He moved to the fireplace and looked at the pictures on the mantel. There were quite a lot, but a few stood out. One was of two small children, both dressed in red and green, sitting with two adults to have their picture taken. Another was of Luigi standing next to his brother, a star shaped creature was atop Mario’s hat. And one was simply a festive card with Luigi and Polterpup with antler headbands on their heads.

Speaking of Polterpup…

Gooigi looked around, sharpening his main sight to look for soul energy. The couch was covered in the dog’s phantasmal residue. The carpet in front of the fireplace and the edges of the empty chair also had high quantities of the stuff, but none was fresh. He scanned the living room, then back tracked to the kitchen and dining room for a lead.

He turned into the kitchen and saw Luigi washing the cups from before. He had rolled up his sweater sleeves and dawned some rubber gloves as he gently washed the delicate cups. Luigi looked up and smiled.

“Hey, get lonely in the living room?” Gooigi shook his head, making a show of looking around for something. “Oh! Trying to find something?” The blob nodded. “Well… I’ll give you the tour once everything is settled and I know you don’t need to use the restroom… Oh! You’re looking for Polterpup!”

Gooigi nodded excitedly. Luigi pulled off his gloves and grabbed for a towel hanging near the sink.

“I have him put away in my room for now. He’s very excitable around new people and I didn’t want him scaring the movers. I know he can fly through doors, but a big rawhide bone is enough to keep him occupied for a few hours.” He picked up and dried a cup, placing it on a cloth when he was done before grabbing another one. “I’ll let him out when everything is said and done.”

Luigi set down the last cup, putting down the towel and resting his hands on the sink. He looked over at Gooigi, a fondness in his eyes.

“It really is nice to have you back. It’s been quiet without you around… a-and without all the ghosts trying to kill us, hehe.” Gooigi laughed softly, staring back at the man. A soft silence enveloped the room, with only the sound of rushing water cutting through the… rushing water…

Gooigi looked down as a stream of water overflowed from the sink. It soaked into Luigi’s shoes before the man noticed. He yelped, turning off the faucet and sticking his arm down into the water to undo the plug in the sink. Soapy water flowed down the drain as the plumber struggled to find a bigger towel.

“Oh my, oh no. Ah, I’ll be back, I just need… oh gosh.” He toed around the spill and slipped past Gooigi, setting his hands on the goo to move him slightly to the side. He rushed into the living room and down the hall near the fireplace, opening and slamming a door shut.

Gooigi sat, stunned, for a minute before a genuine smile morphed on his stoic face. If this was what living with Luigi would be like, he’d be in for small surprises like this every day. Just thinking about helping the plumber out of simple domestic jams set his goo a flutter. The puddle had expanded and was touching his foot; he felt a sense of pride at his immunity. Even if he eventually felt the water creep past the second skin, Gooigi knew he was much stronger now. Much more dependable. And he’d be the best damn roommate this side of the Mushroom Kingdom.

Even if it killed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 10 Chapters, I didn't think I'd take this long to finally get to the main action! Should I put slow burn in the tags or is that for 100,000 word and up fic only? Lol. The holidays are coming up and i'm putting in some major crunch time on personal projects so I may or may not have another chapter done before Christmas. All I do know is that I'm gonna be working overtime to bring you lovely people some heckin domestic fluff these next few chapters.  
Merry Early Christmas/Hanukkah and Happy Holidays!


	11. A taste

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gooigi begrudgingly deals with guests in Luigi's home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case you didn't see, I made a blueprint to Luigi's house. Please check it out if my explanation of the house layout isn't clicking. https://karatecake.tumblr.com/post/189765980442
> 
> Also, Happy New Year! I'm hopefully gonna be back on track for uploads in the coming weeks. Hope y'all enjoy the beginning of the domestic fluff and keep those New Years resolutions.

The water soon became too much for Gooigi’s new skin and he moved away; the outer layer had lightly flayed away from his goo but recovered fast when he stepped back. He only took a few steps before Luigi blazed past him with a soft green towel muttering as he turned into the kitchen. He left Luigi to the spill, not trusting himself not to melt in the process, and made his way to the living room once more.

The warmth from the fireplace surprised him; someone must have placed some kindling inside while he was gone. The new flames left an auburn glow on the furniture around the room. With the heart of the home alive it was easy to see why Polterpup spent so much time on the rug in front of the red brick hearth. The phantasmal residue shimmered in the heat, rising up into a soft silhouette of the dog. Gooigi took in the sight, he’d never seen it do that before. He watched as it wavered like a mirage, completely entranced at the oddity of it.

Ghost biology intrigued him; especially since he was mostly ghost essence. The way they worked confused him. Long dead beings that stayed behind for mischief and merriment for as longs as eons and as short as days. He never cared about who they were before, but now that he’s been warming up to the world the curiosity grows. Why is it that they stayed around the lab or formed towns with other specters? Why did they not return to their loved ones or old lives and settle back in? It was quite easy; the ghosts at the Last Resort put on a very convincing show to bamboozle E. Gadd and Luigi. With a little effort they could probably pass for living.

Gooigi looked down at his hands. The glow from the fire gave his goo a two-toned luminosity. The orange light from the flames danced across his membrane, reflecting like it was metal, while the rest dispersed into his body. It bounced off the odd bubble and ripple of moving ectoplasm. The light didn’t pass through him like it did the others. He was too _solid_ for the light to ignore him. Too sturdy. Too real.

Who… was he before he was Goo?

Who was he before he was Gooigi, even?

It was a question his minds often hid from him, oddly enough. The question of who he used to be alluded him even after riffling through E. Gadd’s notes on his creation. It didn’t help that he was a fluke; all important info in the process was simply chance, no real trial and error. It made him feel uncomfortable questioning the ghost that, well, _died _so he could be born.

Did he juggle? Was he tall like Luigi or short like his brother? Did he have siblings? Or a family?

It could be that once you died your memory was wiped; all past experiences staying behind with your body. Maybe that’s why the ghosts never returned home. Or maybe they wanted to avoid something and leave it in their bodies’ past.

So confusing, this life business.

As much as he’d like to know, there’s nothing about his life now that warranted a deep dive to his elusive past. He had Luigi and Polterpup and, to a lesser extent, E. Gadd. He had the ghosts at the lab and the ones from the hotel. He had himself, who was currently derailing his mind from his earlier inquiry. Trying to stop him from putting unnecessary stress on his consciousness. Gooigi relented, letting it take him from his thoughts and bring him back to the present.

The goo’s version of life was good, even if he had to go ghost hunting every once and a while.

A crash from the guest room broke his inner monologue. He whipped his head around, accidently ‘breaking’ his neck in the process. One of Horace’s men trotted out of the room and shrieked at the sight. He fumbled back, tripping on a piece of packing foam and landing hard on the wood floor. Gooigi turned his body towards the man to fix the mistake, but all it served to do was remove the color from the worker’s face. He’d never seen color leave a human face before, it always seemed to be added.

The moment was saved by E. Gadd who rushed out of the room and pulled at the man.

“No time for your singing practice, I need those wrenches, pronto! I’d rather not have a BMW size crater in Luigi’s house, I’d never hear the end of it!” He dragged the man up and pushed him to where the tools were sitting near the back-sliding door. “Move, move!”

He sprinted to the case, keeping an eye on Gooigi as he pulled about 6 wrenches into his meaty fist and made his way back to the room. Luigi made an entrance at the noise, running into the guest room to see what was the matter.

“Is everyone alright?! Do I need to get the first-aid kit?” The drenched towel was clutched in his hands. The man had a slight tremble in his form, Gooigi frowned at the sight. He thought the plumber had finally relaxed and now all this hubbub was stirring him up again.

Gooigi followed Luigi into the room and saw the glass tank sitting on the floor, a splatter of something underneath it. Looking closer, it seemed to be what was left of a ham and cheese sandwich.

“Everything’s fine, Mr. Luigi, Joshua ‘ere left ‘is lunch too close to the machine an’ someone slipped and dropped the tank.” He cuffed who he assumed was Joshua upside the head and motioned for him to lift the soiled end of the container. E. Gadd was quick to slap the offending food off his contraption and start checking for damage.

“You’re lucky this thing is as durable as it is or else Joshua would’ve found himself as my new lab assistant!” Gooigi suppressed a shudder. There was a reason the scientist kept ghosts as his assistants. Things got… _messy_ when E. Gadd demanded perfection.

He motioned for the worker the blob scared to hand him a smaller wrench. Beside him, Luigi sagged in relief. The last thing he needed was a workplace incident in his own home.

“Thank goodness. I know you’re professionals, but please be careful.” Luigi muttered, the shake in his hands subsiding. He walked out of the doorway to place the towel somewhere else.

Horace gave him a curt nod and pulled a bandana from his belt to wipe up the remaining mess on the machine. Gooigi walked closer to the workers, making a beeline for the sandwich. He didn’t want these men bugging Luigi any longer, so the least he could do is clean up their mess. The workers froze as he approached. Even Horace gave him an unnerved stare.

He placed his foot over the smeared sandwich and accepted the food into his body. The abstract smudge floated upwards with the current of his goo and slowly began to disintegrate. The lesser minds responsible for eating took over as he continued to care for the mess. Little feelers picked up the smaller particles and left the floor as spotless as the wood around it.

Gooigi stepped back and gave the spot a cursory look before turning and heading out of the room. He didn’t give much of a thought to the ‘five second rule’ he’d heard a few humans speak of. It’s not like the blob could get sick, let alone get food poisoning. Being part ghost gave him quite the advantage in that area.

He ignored the whispers behind him as he walked out. They were quickly silenced by E. Gadd’s snappy demand for another tool. He’d take his time to explore his new living space once the workers were gone.

The blob walked back to the living room and spotted another towel sitting on the couch. It perfectly encompassed one of the cushions with a little left at the bottom to cover the rug under the coffee table. It was a similar color to his goo. Gooigi felt a smile stretch his lips; Luigi must have left it for him so he didn’t have to stand.

Gooigi walked over, taking a closer look at the spot he’d been given. With his new membrane the chance of his goo staining the couch or the towel was slim to none, but its not like Luigi knew that. The intention behind the action was so delightful he couldn’t give much care to anything else. He touched the towel, feeling the fabric beneath his fingers. It was much different from the feeling of sweaters or blankets; made to absorb water instead of contain and promote heat. It was still soft though, probably expensive.

He turned and slowly sat onto the cushion. His weight sunk him into the couch, morphing his goo in a way he didn’t expect. The void in between the cushions ended up forcing his ectoplasm into it making a sharp angle protrude from his back. As he leaned, more and more goo displaced until he looked like he’d melted into the cushions. It was so comfortable in a way very different from glass. He loved the spontaneity of it but preferred the glass when it was time to rest.

Until the workers were finished, Gooigi sit here and enjoy the softness, warmth, and snugness of Luigi’s home.

-

Gooigi awoke from his stasis when his lesser minds sensed a presence nearby. His main gaze snapped onto the body, no, _bodies_ standing around him. It was Joshua and the man he’d scared earlier. They stood at the end of the couch, just… watching him. They must’ve thought he was still asleep considering his eyes were there for decoration. They hummed as they studied him; slowly walking around the couch for a better angle. The blob decided to stop their fun when one extended a hand to touch him.

He let out a trill before it could touch him and the two jumped back with a dual suppressed squeak. Gooigi turned his head, making it as obvious as possible to the men that he was looking at them.

“O-oh, Jesus! We thought you were asleep!” Joshua cried, taking a step back as Gooigi lifted himself from the confines of the couch. He had a sheepish look on his face, like he’d been caught trying to get cookies from the cookie jar.

Gooigi tilted his head, eyeing the two and their retreat. He gave another lower pitched trill to mimic the sound of human confusion. Joshua’s eyes widened and he punched the other man’s shoulder. He muttered a quick ‘you ask him, Hank’ and pushed the man again.

_Hank _walked forward. A hand soon went to the back of his head to scratch his hair, his face twitching to decide what face he should make.

“W-well, um, we were talking w-with Mr. Gadd and he, um, started talking ‘bout you…” He shuffled, unsure if his words were reaching the nonhuman. “And he said you t-tasted like… coffee…” Hank’s words trailed off, his voice going soft. “A-and, we were wondering if… well, if you’re okay with it and all… if we could, uh…”

Gooigi suppressed a cringe; this was the worst conversation he’d ever gotten himself into. He should have just let them touch him and leave.

Before Hank could start again, Joshua pushed him aside.

“We were wondering if we could taste you!”

Brash, bold, and abrupt. Better than Hank’s pitch, but still uncomfortable.

Joshua’s face froze, his expression screaming ‘what the hell did I just say?’

Gooigi’s minds hummed as they processed the request. There was only one person he would gladly offer a taste to, and he wasn’t here, but did that mean he would refuse other people? If he said no, there would be a chance they’d sabotage the build—as much as they could with E. Gadd around—and subsequently ruin Luigi’s house. Or they would continue to bug him for the rest of the installation, which he especially didn’t want.

After a minute, Gooigi stood from the couch. The two men went rigid as he moved, unsure of how he’d react. With a wobbly sigh, the blob extended his hand and motioned for the men to put out theirs. Joshua brought his hand out quickly, while Hank took a second to weigh his options. Gooigi positioned his outstretched hand over both and commanded his goo to dislodge two of his fingers.

They plopped softly onto the men’s open palms and ceased connection with the main form. The two made a noise at the sight but didn’t drop the now small puddles in their hands. Gooigi replaced the missing fingers and sat back down on the couch. He watched the two ogle at the green goo in their hands, hemming and hawing at what to do next.

Hank slowly lifted his hand to his mouth and popped the ectoplasm inside; his eyes widened in surprise as he punched Joshua in the arm.

“Dude! You’re gonna make me drop it!” Joshua complained loudly. Hank’s expression grew into an excited smile. He swallowed the goo and opened his mouth to speak.

“Josh, dude, it tastes _just _like coffee! I swear my mom has this brand or something.” He waves his arms at the other man, urging him to try.

Joshua relents, tossing back the goo at the urging of his friend. The same expression dawns on his face as he reaches the same level of excitement as Hank.

“Oh my god, you’re right. My grandpa used to drink this stuff when I was a kid!” He turned to Gooigi, smile still on his face. “Thanks man, I thought you were gonna taste like pear candy or something.” He stops, thinking for a moment. “Or Draino. I don’t know. But I knew I had to call that old mans bluff. He’s such a blowhard sometimes.”

Gooigi nods in agreement. It was nice to know even humans had issues with the professor. It was the one thing both the living and the dead could agree on.

Speak of the devil, E. Gadd calls on the two from the guest room, requesting them to lift the tank. Joshua and Hank both thank Gooigi before running back their jobs, giggling like school children as they go. The blob sighed, sinking back into the cushions. The couch seemed to remember his form and he filled in the space left behind.

He was so relieved they were almost done. It was so tiring communicating with humans. He had an easier time working with ghosts and they didn’t even speak a language he could understand! But humans did have the perk of complexity on their side. Ghost’s exemplified having a single personality trait and using it well. However, it got old quickly, like how Hammer’s are good at being strong and dumb but nothing else. The workers, while strong—and possibly dumb, have the layers of personality and background necessary to be a complex person.

Gooigi snuggled back into his spot, content to sit and wait for the crew to finish. He kept his lesser gazes open, not wanting another surprise visit from the workers.

-

Gooigi rose from his spot as Horace and his crew filed out of the guest bedroom. They talked amongst themselves while Horace and E. Gadd spoke about the crew’s payment, or something along those lines. Luigi appeared from the kitchen; small water bottles bundled in his arms. He handed them to the workers as he passed, gaining small thank yous as he went. Gooigi tuned into E. Gadd’s conversation, eager to know when the men were leaving.

“I’ve already sent a request to my bank for your payment, you could get the money by the end of the day per the usual.” E. Gadd pulled out his wallet and handed the man a card. “If you don’t get it call me with that number. I had to change it after the whole hotel debacle so be sure not to lose that.”

Horace nodded, waving for his men to follow outside. Gooigi walked over to where E. Gadd and Luigi stood by the kitchen. Joshua and Hank gave him a look before going outside to their respective vehicles. The plumber followed them to the door, giving his thanks and saying goodbye before shutting the door behind them. Luigi let out a relieved sigh as they left. He looked a little rough around the edges; like he wasn’t used to this many people in his home.

The scientist poked Luigi to get his attention, causing the man to jump.

“If you’ll come with me, my good man, we’ve got some instruction to go over.” E. Gadd said, giving Gooigi a ‘you too’ look and making his way back to the room.

Luigi trotted after with the blob not far behind. Inside, the observation tank sat on the far wall fully functioning. The buttons were lit and the machine hummed gently giving the space a little bit of life to it. Gooigi marveled at the tank, remembering how spacious and comfortable it was… until he got angry, but it wasn’t the tanks fault. The little symbols inside the container cycled over and over next to the screen which displayed a comfortable 72°F inside. The entrance valve was open, showing a larger secondary opening for when Gooigi was entering without a tank.

Luigi oohed and ahhed at the machine, running his hands over the sensor filled glass and sleek terminal. E. Gadd slapped his hands away from the button when he got to close but allowed him to spin the main tank to test the ball bearings.

“I’ve left some paper instructions on the dining room table, but I’ll give you a short rundown to get you started.” E. Gadd pointed to the control panel. “This here is for accessing and tweaking the living conditions inside the tank. There’s a temperature gauge, volume nob, specimen status screen, and maintenance button. You’re going to be using the status screen more often than not to see how Gooigi is doing.”

E. Gadd tapped a few buttons, prompting a screen to display on the tank’s glass. It showed the blob’s name and info from the last time he entered the tank. The errors from the pressure he exerted on the glass were still in the report, but E. Gadd glossed over them.

“With his recent growth, I’ve added a few subcategories you’ll need to keep and eye on. If he gets bigger, just feed him more. If he exhibits symptoms like he did before, with the whole not eating thing, then use this button to send me the report and I’ll see what I can do.” He tapped a large blue button on the far side of the panel labeled ‘send report’.

Luigi fiddled with his hands; he was obviously overwhelmed with this task but didn’t verbalize it.

“Uh,” He started. “How often should I check it? I don’t want to be bothering Gooigi everyday if I don’t need to.”

The scientist thought for a moment, stroking his chin with his hand as he pondered the question.

“Three times a week should be fine. Most issues you could possibly encounter have physical effects on him. Like if he’s exposed to water for too long, his new membrane with flay and come apart like a corn husk.” Luigi winced at the imagery.

E. Gadd chortled at his face, patting him on the arm. “Now now, don’t worry too much, alright? Gooigi is one of my best inventions yet, he’s not going to die just because you walked out of the room for a second. He’s a big boy that can take care of his health, hopefully.” He gave Gooigi a stern look. “All you have to do is tap the buttons and see how he’s doing every few days. Easy. Simple. Childs play, even!”

Luigi looked over the machine again, biting his lip as he scanned over the labeled buttons. He relaxed a bit, convinced by E. Gadd’s words that he would do just fine. He flipped a switch on the far left of the panel, opening up the larger entrance port. He turned to Gooigi, a nervous smile gracing his features.

“So… do you want to show me how this works?”

Gooigi trilled, eager to show his friend that the observation machine wasn’t that scary. He walked to the port, pushing himself inside to the plexiglass tubing. The suction didn’t seem to work on the larger entrance so he was forced to shimmy his way inside on his own. He plopped into the main tank, keeping his form as a loose humanoid shape instead of his normal Luigi visage. Luigi watched intently as he activated and deactivated the frosted glass and messed with the symbols on the touch pads below him.

“Oh!” Luigi pressed his face to the tank, pointing to one of the symbols. “What does that one do?” Eager to show Luigi whatever he wished, he neglected to see which symbol he was pressing.

The only warning he had was the tube sliding shut as the tank began to spin wildly in its cradle. The centrifugal force was so strong it forced him to spread along the glass of the tank as the spin increased. All he could hear was the motor of the machine whirling and Luigi’s panicked cries and he was spread across the whole container in a perfect half inch sheet. His sight could barely capture the sensors in the glass lighting up before they too were spread thin.

If Gooigi thought he understood what nausea meant on the drive here, he was horribly wrong.

The tank suddenly stopped and Gooigi was slammed against one side. He probably looked like a folded sheet with how strung out he was. He barely had the sense to melt back into a puddle let alone take a humanoid shape.

“Gooigi! Are you alright? I’m so sorry!” Luigi called from the other side of the glass.

The blob’s sights were still spinning inside him so he could hardly see his friend’s horrified face. Gooigi extended a horribly wobbly arm and offered the man a thumbs up, but it ended up twirling around and reabsorbing into his goo. Meanwhile, he could hear E. Gadd’s laughter reverberating against his container.

“Oh ho ho, that wasn’t what I was expecting.” He snorted, tapping on the control panel. “The spin is supposed to spread Gooigi across the sensors for a full read, but not that much!” He devolved into a fit of giggles, using Luigi as a crutch to stay upright.

Slowly, Gooigi regained his senses. He pushed himself up from his folded form and crawled his way back into the tube. The downward tilt of the tube allowed him to let gravity do the work as he slid down. He fell out of the tube, crumpling into a pile of slime on the floor. Luigi rushed to his side and tried lifting him up. All he managed to do was get a hand stuck in his form.

“Can you stand? Should I get a basket or something?” He didn’t tug at the hand trapped in the blob, he just let Gooigi come around at his own pace.

Gooigi spread more goo onto the man’s arm and pulled, signaling to Luigi he’d like to be lifted up. The plumber nodded and stood; pulling on the goo until he’d lifted himself into a semi human shape. Just enough to be able to stand on his own. E. Gadd’s laughter increased and Luigi turned on him.

“You! You’re not helping at all. What if that hurt him?” The plumber yelled. It was enough to snap the scientist out of his enjoyment. He scoffed, waving his hand dismissively at the tall man.

“Hurt? Gooigi can withstand much harsher punishment than a little spin cycle. Besides, now we know the spin is too high. Would you rather have had me test this while he was unconscious? No, you wouldn’t.” He turned to the panel and grabbed a small nob near the top, turning it to the left until the marker landed on the number 3 instead of the 6 it was on.

“Must have been turned during the installation. Now he won’t become tapioca pudding every time he needs to be checked. Anywho! Let’s have a look at what the test found.”

Luigi helped Gooigi move away from the entrance tube as he slowly gained more definition. He was back to his normal form by the time they made their way next to the professor. The statistics from the ‘spin cycle’ came up on the tank.

_Specimen: Gooigi_

_Temperature: 65°F (Before maximum revolutions attained)_

_Overall Status: Good_

_Possible Issues: Essence is in critical lack of nutrients._

_Recommended Fixes: Feed it_

“Very nice, very nice.” E. Gadd whispered. As quick as he activated the results, he switched them off, turning around and heading to the door.

“Well, it’s been fun, but it’s about time for me to go. These old eyes don’t see as well in the dark as they used to.” He remarked, picking up a tool bag with his logo on it from the floor.

“Oh.” Luigi said. “Are you sure? I was just about to start dinner.”

The scientist shook his head. “No, no, I’ll be fine. Besides, I think Gooigi has had enough of me by now. The least I can do is let him experience a regular homecooked meal on his own.” He kept speaking as he walked down the hall and into the main room. “I’ll let myself out, good seeing you, sonny.”

Luigi looked on in confusion until he heard the front door open and then close. For a moment, they both stood there in shock. A soft whining from the next room brought them back to the present.

“Ah, I think Polterpup is done with his bone. Perfect timing.” He turned to the blob. “Come on, I know you’ve been dying to see him.”

He took Gooigi’s hand and lead him out of the room and down the hall. Gooigi wasn’t dizzy anymore and certainly didn’t need a guiding hand but contact with his plumber was always welcome. They stopped in front of two double doors; Luigi pulled a brass key from his pocket and unlocked the room. Just as he pushed the door open, a flurry of ghost dog shot from the room and barreled right into Gooigi, knocking him to the floor.

The pup licked at him excitedly, fully knowing who it was he’d ambushed this time. The poor pup must have smelled him the moment he walked in, but the lure of the rawhide bone was too much for the dog. Gooigi trilled happily, running his fingers through the phantom’s fur. With his new skin, the dog’s tongue couldn’t wear away his face as fast as before, but he could feel it start giving way after a while. He pushed on the dog, setting him in his lap and holding the pup’s face in his hands. He smooshed Polterpup’s face, watching in interest as it squashed and stretched comically. There, he thought, now you know how it feels.

Gooigi looked up at Luigi; a whimsical expression graced his face. He laughed when he saw one of the faces Gooigi made on the dog. He’d pulled the pup’s cheeks out and scrunched his eyes, he looked like cheems but with a doggish smile.

Polterpup phased through the floor and reappeared next to his master, wagging his crooked tail excitedly at the new guest. Luigi began petting the specter in earnest, muttering nonsense in an odd tone.

“Yes, you missed Gooigi, huh. You missed your best friend, huh. Well guess what, he gets to stay here now. Yes, that’s right, you get to play with Gooigi every day.” The words devolved into kissy noises that Polterpup seemed to like a lot. He wiggled in the man’s grip until he phased through his hands from excitement. The dog’s interest soon turned to the smell of food from the kitchen. He bolted down the hall, ignoring the two still left in front of Luigi’s bedroom.

Luigi blushed, remembering he had a guest and that he baby talked his dog in front of said guest. He brought a hand to the back of his head and motioned for Gooigi to follow the pup.

“Shall we?”

As they walked, Luigi began to ramble.

“I made sure to put out Polterpup’s food before they left just in case he got out early. He may like strangers, but he likes food more.” They passed the living room. The fire had burned down to gentle embers once more, radiating little to no real heat. The TV had been turned off when he wasn’t paying attention, but the towel was still there.

Luigi led him to the kitchen, making sure to walk around Polterpup who was circling his food dish while he ate. Gooigi waited near the kitchen island as the man pulled ingredients from the fridge and placed them near a large wooden cutting board next to the stove.

“I hope you got to relax while they were working.” He said as he began chopping various vegetables into neat cubes. “I noticed a few of Horace’s men started bothering you a little before they finished. Sorry I didn’t interfere; they didn’t look like they meant any harm.” Luigi gave him an apologetic look which he waved off with shrug of his shoulders.

“I was wondering what they were gabbing about when they left, something about coffee I think.” He pushed the veggies off to the side, grabbing a closed package of salmon from his pile of food and opening it.

Gooigi caught his attention and mimed the action of eating something. Luigi’s eyes lit up and he turned back to the cutting board. “Oh, would you like some carrot? I’ve got more than I need.” He picked up a roughly chopped carrot and presented it to Gooigi. The blobs mouth was already open from the failed explanation so he leaned forward and captured the carrot in his lips. Luigi seemed satisfied and turned back to portioning the salmon.

The blob tried again, miming in greater detail how he let the men taste portions of his goo… that sounded bad, didn’t it?

“Wait, I remember E. Gadd saying something about you tasting like coffee. Jeez, that feels like so long ago. I think that was the day we first met.” He set the portioned salmon on a separate plate and turned on one of the burners. He placed a small pad of butter in the pan and—when it was melted—tossed in the vegetables. “I highly doubt he was being serious, I mean, what scientist flavors his inventions.” He laughed softly. “You’re not coffee flavored, are y-“

While Luigi spoke, Gooigi prepared a small dollop of goo like before and waited to present it. As the man turned to speak, his words caught in his throat at the sight of it. Gooigi pinched the portion between his fingers and brought it closer to Luigi’s mouth, like the man did with the carrot earlier. In a moment of perhaps delirium, the plumber opened his mouth and took the pad of jelly like goo from Gooigi’s outstretch hand.

The man processed the flavor and an expression of realization spread across his face. However, unlike the workers who became excited at the familiar flavor, an aggressive blush filled out the man’s cheeks. “Y-yeah, it really does _t-taste_ like coffee.” He stuttered, not making eye contact. When he did, all it served to do was make the blush grow in intensity. He squirmed in place, floundering about something Gooigi couldn’t quite understand. When he finally stopped, Gooigi was surprised at the volume of the man’s voice.

“H-hey! Why don’t you and Polterpup hang out in the living room while I cook. I’ll call you when I need help with the table.” He pressed his free hand to the blob’s chest and gave a gentle nudge. This accompanied with the dog nipping at his heels had him giving a small wave to the man and leaving the kitchen.

Just as he was out of sight, Gooigi heard a high-pitched exhale of air come from the man and some inaudible muttering.

Oh well, must have been nothing.


	12. Domesticity Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gooigi gets a glimpse of days to come and he loves it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the massive delay in posting, as you can guess a whole bunch of stuff has happened between the last chapter. School, COVID, and general procrastination were to blame, but don't worry I haven't lost my flame for this ship just yet. Currently I'm safely quarantining with friends and all is well, I can only hope all of you guys are the same. I hope this short chapter can break the boredom a bit and I'll try to post quicker if Final Fantasy 7 will allow it.  
Be safe, wash your hands, play Luigi's Mansion!

Luigi called him back for dinner a short while later. The smell of perfectly cooked salmon filtered into the living room long before he called though. The table was already set when they sat down to eat; the chairs pulled out for the two to use. Polterpup circled under the dining table, weaving in and out of the posts keeping the large table up. Luigi tutted him gently when he got too anxious and—when he thought Gooigi wasn’t looking—would sneak pieces of salmon to the pup.

The sun had long since gone down, the room being filled with the cresting moonlight outside and the mood lighting of the dimmers. The bright coloring on the plumber’s face had long faded, but Gooigi could swear he could see it a few times during the meal. The food was fulfilling as was the company. Though Gooigi couldn’t speak, Luigi filled the empty space with his recounting of how life has been since the hotel.

“My brother and the princess have been doing well, surprisingly. That wasn’t Mario’s first time as a wall decoration and Peach is no stranger to kidnappings. But my bro has always been good at distracting himself; he’s doing a tour of the kingdoms in a few days to make up for lost vacation time.”

Luigi shook his head, a fondness in his voice.

“I know for a fact he’s gonna call me and ask if I can bring my balloon stuff down when he gets bored.” He speared a piece of fish and brought it to his mouth, pausing for a moment to finish. “He’s so predictable like that.”

Gooigi let out a questioning noise at the mention of balloons. Luigi never struck him as a guy who did balloon things; he always thought that was for clowns. Then again, he did have the gloves for that kind of profession.

“Oh, after Mario’s last big adventure I thought I’d start a little side business in scavenger hunting. Balloon World was really popular for a while. But now there are so many people playing it’s become self-sufficient.” He poked a carrot with his fork, fiddling with his food. “The only thing I do personally is send cards to people who hit 50 stars.”

The blob nodded, so interested in what else Luigi did on the side. For a ghost hunter he sure did have a lot of hobbies.

Gooigi must have looked quite eager in that moment because the plumber gave him a look before continuing.

“You know… I keep my balloon stuff in my office when I don’t use it. I was planning on giving you the tour tomorrow, but now I can add sanctioned snooping to the itinerary.”

Gooigi perked up. He loved snooping; it’s how he got most of his entertainment in E. Gadd’s lab. Host sanctioned snooping was even better, someone would be there to open doors for him. He nodded enthusiastically, not wanting this opportunity to slip by. Luigi smiled, popping a fist into his hand while he made his plan.

“Then it’s settled, tour tomorrow,” He pushed back his chair, picking up his empty plate. “Dishes now.”

He walked over and picked up Gooigi’s plate; the blob had finished his food almost immediately so he spent most of the dinner listening to Luigi’s stories. Gooigi stood up and followed the plumber. When they made it to the sink, the blob made it obvious he wished to help. Luigi tried to persuade him otherwise but was soon cowed into letting the goo do a task with little water.

Luigi washed and Gooigi dried, all while Polterpup ran up and down the hall with some evening zoomies. He would keep bringing toys into the kitchen and plopping them at the blob’s feet, demanding he play. The blob would form a third arm and toss the toy away only for the pup to come back again and again. Their antics had the plumber in stitches; his laughter so hard he almost overflowed the sink again. A large yawn breaking up his mild hysteria.

Having so many people in his home must have tired him out, Gooigi surmised. While he wished to stay up and enjoy Luigi’s company, he begrudgingly accepted the human curse of sleep.

Dishes put away; Luigi led him down the hall to their rooms. He cracked open the guest bathroom—in the odd instance Gooigi would need it—and bid the blob a nice night and ‘sweet dreams’. The sugar content of his dreams was an odd thing to wish for, but Gooigi took it to heart. Luigi’s door closed softly behind him as Polterpup bounded by and popped through the wall.

Alone, Gooigi returned to the room. No, _his room_. The blob suppressed a song like trill and spun around the room to see every nook and cranny. His room, his territory, all his to explore and store and use to his delight. So much space compared to what he used to have.

The additional weight from his growth gave him more leverage to open the heavy oak drawers of the dresser next to his tank and the dark doors of the armoire. No clothes were inside, but the possibilities of the items he could store here were endless. To say Gooigi was overwhelmed would be an understatement. Storage meant the possibility of gaining possessions. E. Gadd never let him keep the things he gave to the goo to observe. Nothing in the lab was ever his. But by leaving these things in Gooigi’s room, Luigi was promising him the decision to keep things.

The blob cataloged each little area where he could store anything he found later before making his way to the tank. The entrance tube was still open and the spin nob was still set to 3. He pushed himself into the tank and activated the frost. While the cloudiness spread across the glass, he cranked up the heat and scrolled through his audio selection. A soft classical tune filtered through the hidden speakers; his minds began to wander and begin their nighttime whisper to the beat of the song.

He fell into a light stasis to the fluttering of wind instruments and the memory of Luigi’s cooking in the forefront.

-

The rich smell of fresh coffee broke Gooigi out of his stasis. The world around him became clearer as his body shook off the veil of sleep; golden sun beams swept across the floors leaving warmth in the ridges of the wood. The blob expanded until he reached both end of the tank, utilizing the space to stretch his ectoplasm. He made his way to the pipe and plopped onto the floor like green apple soft serve. As he took his human form, he stood and let the smells around the house pervade his senses.

Bold coffee aroma mixed with the slight tang of chocolate wrapped in the yeasty scent of fresh pastry. Gooigi was so used to the smell of meat in the morning that this was a pleasant surprise. He made his way to his still open door; no use in closing it when you can’t open it up again. As he walked, he took stock of his goo proportion, happy to see that his changes still stayed.

Gooigi turned the corner and laid his sight on a slightly sleep rumpled Luigi; his hair was sticking up in a few places and his eyes still cloudy with sleep. He was dressed in a baby blue sleep shirt and blue plaid pants; soft red slippers embroidered with a moustache design sat snug on his feet. In his hands were two perfectly made up cups of coffee, one mocha by the chocolatey smell. Luigi turned and jumped a bit, not hearing his guest enter the kitchen. He smiled and motioned for Gooigi to join him. Instead of heading to the table, Luigi steered them into the living room. The fire was out but the TV was on and playing the Mushroom Kingdom news channel.

The plumber set down the mocha by the well-used chair and the other on the coffee table, right in front of the towel he’d left the day before. He gave the goo another smile and tilted his head at the seat. Gooigi sat and stared at the cup, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to drink this the human way without spilling on his friend’s nice couch and carpet. Luigi walked back to the kitchen just as an egg timer began chiming, it sounded similar to a Cluckboom’s squall.

A minute later a neat breakfast tray of still steaming chocolate croissants was plopped onto a potholder on the coffee table. Luigi quickly took his seat in the chair, the cushions accepting him like an old friend. The man stretched up and back, mouth opening for a jaw cracking yawn, a small bit of stomach peeking out from under the soft blue pajama shirt. Only after he finished his stretch did he turn to Gooigi and speak.

“So, how did you sleep?”

Gooigi felt a smile grace his features as he finally accepted this wasn’t a dream.


	13. Content

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gooigi gets a tour of the house. Luigi gets more aware.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyyy! It's been a while, huh? I'm perfectly safe right now and I haven't gotten sick at all from the dreaded Back Street Boys Tour. Just been busy with other stuff and also some major procrastination. As we get closer and closer to Halloween again my inspiration grows! I'll be sure to replay Luigi's Mansion to get back into the character. Anyway, I hope y'all are still safe, wear your masks, and thank you for your support!

Gooigi let out a happy trill in response to Luigi’s question. For the first times in weeks he had been able to sleep so deep into stasis he forgot what his consciousness talked about in the night. He’d never been so relaxed before; his body always alert to the world around him. And while he was unable to relay this to Luigi verbally, the sweet smile gracing his host’s lips told him his feelings were heard.

Luigi took another sip of his coffee, sighing as the warm liquid warmed up his tired body. It was so odd to see the plumber so… soft. So unguarded. The man often had his shoulders drawn up and his bag hunched when confronted with things he was weary of. Even after the hotel was rebuilt and it was confirmed no more danger would come to them, Luigi always had his guard up.

But now…

Now he was snuggled deep into his favorite chair, pajamas rumpled around him like they were a size too big. He looked small, content; especially with a chocolate pastry shoved in his mouth. His sleep dulled eyes turned to the TV once more and watched the morning news as he munched away on the treat. The absolute disarmament of his usual barriers gave the blob a pleasant tingle in his torso at the trust placed on him. Gooigi sharpened his senses, seeing the aura of the man’s soul permeate his form. It was still a calming blue but it didn’t flare up and wisp around like it did the last time he saw it. It ebbed and flowed like a garden pond, completely at peace.

Gooigi hummed, the sight of Luigi’s spirit always made him feel better. A constant reminder of his plumber’s presence, one he could sense from anywhere in the house if he tried hard enough. Also, there was something odd about seeing a soul, the main component of ghostly creatures. The sight made his goo prickle. Not in a bad way, nothing about Luigi could make him feel like that. But a soul was a private thing, especially when it was inside a human vessel. Seeing something this private, being able to sense it, was edging closer to an intimacy Gooigi didn’t think Luigi, or any human for that matter, would be okay with.

A chuckle brought Gooigi back from his thoughts. Luigi pointed to the TV as a clip started up; it was a Toad being carried by the scruff of his jacket by a large dog. The dog seemed to believe the Toad was an infant of some sorts and actively avoided other Toads trying to get their friend free. The scene ended and two news Toad’s began laughing at the clip.

“Hehe, the morning news doesn’t have much to report, but their pet clips section is the best.” Luigi said.

As though he was being summoned, Polterpup bounded into the room and skidded to a halt at Luigi’s feet. The pup barked, its ghostly yips sounding more like demands for attention. Luigi snickered and scratched under the dog’s chin.

“Aww, were you jealous I was talking about another dog, huh? You know you’re the only pup for me.” He cooed, continuing his assault until Polterpup rolled over and offered his belly for more pets.

While he did that, Gooigi looked down at the cup of coffee in front of him. He read it was rude to decline things offered by a host and he wanted to show his best manners while in Luigi’s home. However—he gave the cup a tired look—he and liquid didn’t get along all that well. He wasn’t human, he didn’t have a convenient divot in his mouth to catch liquids. When he did open his mouth it was more like a crevasse was cut into his goo; like that the coffee would drip out from the sides and stain the couch.

Gooigi brought his main gaze to the plumber as he raised his cup to his mouth and took another sip. He studied the man as he drank, trying to ascertain the motions he made.

He let out a low hum. Luigi seemed to purse his lips as he drank, allowing the coffee to slide through a small opening so it did not overwhelm his fragile windpipe. Humans seemed to choke on liquids rather easily so it must take some concentration in order to do this every time.

Gooigi focused on his cosmetic mouth and started moving around the lips. They wiggled and warped out farther than he intended, making it seem like he had a sentient moustache. He brought a hand up to still the things and push them back into place. The blob kept his hand over his lips until they no longer pushed against it trying to escape. With some basic control over his lips, he practiced pursing them like Luigi had. The edges of his mouth sealed together, leaving a small hole where—when he got around to opening it—the coffee would be able to enter his body.

Gooigi trilled, grabbing the cup in his excitement and bringing it to his mouth. He commanded his goo to open into an esophageal-esque tube. All he needed was for his goo to be in contact with the coffee for a few moments before it was absorbed so it was all he needed.

As the coffee streamed into his mouth, he noticed the high temperature of the liquid. His lesser cells panicked, causing him to pull back the cup. A slosh of coffee was barely contained when he dropped the cup quickly onto the table and brought his hands to his face reflexively. He let out a choked noise when the hot coffee started to melt his throat. That caught Luigi’s attention.

He yelped standing from his seat and kneeled in front of the biomorph. His hands flailed, unsure of how to fix the situation.

“Gooigi, are you okay?!” He squawked. His eyes landed on the pocket of coffee in his throat and they widened. “Oh no, spit it out, spit it out!”

He grabbed onto Gooigi’s arms and pulled them back, placing his hands underneath the blobs chin in a cup shape.

Gooigi shook his head, he refused to spit out something offered to him. Especially something as precious as Luigi’s food. Waste not want not, but that phrase didn’t help the burning in his body. The blob felt his body revolt against the irritant, growing spike that stabbed into the coffee. All it did was make less room and bring the coffee closer to unharmed areas.

In something he could only describe as a harsh swallow, Gooigi’s throat contracted and forced the liquid further into his body. Separating the coffee, his natural coolness brought the temperature down and allowed his lesser cells to take what nutrients it needed and dispose of the rest.

Gooigi sagged in relief, he didn’t feel pain, but the discomfort was maddening. He looked at Luigi and offered a smile to try and placate him. The plumber ignored it and placed a hand on his throat, gently feeling at the membrane. Gooigi held still during the examination. Luigi’s touch was light but insistent. He wasn’t sure what the man was feeling for. The heat was long gone and there was no lasting damage, but he continued to look. The blob had no way of telling him that so he sat back and enjoyed the treatment. It always felt nice when Luigi touched him, he didn’t dare move to break the spell.

Gooigi surprised himself with the noise he began to emit. It was a rumble originating from his chest making a sound he couldn’t place. Luigi’s hand stopped at the noise and a curious expression made its way onto his face. His fingers trailed down Gooigi’s throat and onto where he felt the rumble come from.

“Is… are you purring?” He asked absentmindedly. It was a question, but it didn’t sound directed at him.

Purring? What was purring? Gooigi lifted his hands onto the origin, inadvertently pushing Luigi’s hand further onto his skin. Was this rumble purring? He had produced a vibration before when he was around spectral matter, but this was new. His consciousness scrambled for an answer while recording this information for later. Perhaps it was a new phenomena brought on by his growth; yes, that seemed the most logical. However, he was still unsure what brought it on.

Gooigi tapped Luigi’s arm, signaling the plumber he was fine. As much as he enjoyed the touch, he didn’t want Luigi to kneel longer than necessary. E. Gadd complained often about the failings of knee joints. The man stilled, his eyes still looking clouded, deep in thought. They suddenly regained their brightness; eyes meeting Gooigi’s own in realization.

He pulled his hand back, a soft redness appearing on his cheeks.

Unlike other times this happened, Luigi did not retreat. Maybe it was the sleepiness hindering his body or maybe he didn’t feel the need to run away when no one was watching. Either way, he stayed seated at Gooigi’s feet for a moment. He looked like he wanted to say something; a question brewing in his mind but was given nowhere to go.

The moment passed, nothing was said, and Gooigi’s curiosity only grew. The man picked up the coffee cup from the table and looked into it, eyebrows drawn together.

“I should have known you’d react badly to drinks, I’m sorry Gooigi.” Luigi started to stand. “I’ll go throw this out.”

Gooigi prickled, stealing the coffee away from the plumber; scandalized he would dare take the blobs drink. Luigi squeaked; the blob cradled the cup in his hands and pursed his lips. But instead of taking a sip, he mock blew onto the liquid.

It wasn’t bad! He tried to convey. Just hot.

Luigi sat stunned for a moment before he let out a snort.

“Hehe, well, I’m glad you still like it.” He motioned for the cup. “I’ll be sure to blow on it before you take a sip. Wouldn’t want my favorite house guest to get hurt over some hot coffee.”

_Favorite _house guest???

Gooigi’s stomach fluttered. Wow… praise from the plumber sure did hit different when he was out of uniform.

Before he could take the cup, Polterpup came barreling over and knocked Luigi to the floor. He shouted in surprise; his shout soon turning into a fitful laughter. He struggled, trying to protect himself from the pups persistent tongue. The dog had an indignant aura around his body and showed no signs of letting up.

“Wait! Stop, noooo. Polterpup! I didn’t mean it, you’re my favorite I swear!”

Polterpup didn’t take the apology; smothering the man in doggy kisses until he knew he was the favorite house guest. And there was no way Gooigi would dare try and interfere with such a squabble.

-

Pastries finished, coffee drunk, and Polterpup placated, Luigi was finally awake enough to get dressed for the day. He left Gooigi alone in the living room with a gameshow on TV that soon sucked him in. The Lakitu host sat in a large grey cloud and floated around the contestants as he had them answer questions. The questions ranged from simple logic puzzles to full on obscure trivia; a blue Yoshi seemed to be the only contestant not struggling to keep his points above the disqualification margin. He didn’t speak English, but he seemed to be communicating with the judge by moving his hands in odd ways.

Gooigi, intrigued by the motions, began mimicking the Yoshi. He felt a sense of deja vu as he worked, remembering the days when all he knew was how to mimic others. He was a bit rusty, but it didn’t take long for him to be only a millisecond behind the image on the screen.

“I guess the news is over. What are you watching?” Luigi asked from behind the blob. He jumped, not sure when the man reentered the room.

He tilted his head back so it was resting on the top of the couch so he could look at the plumber. Luigi stared down at him, raising a hand up and poking the blob between the eyes with a small ‘boop’. Gooigi reflexively smiled at the act. That seemed to be enough to color the man’s cheeks and make him look away shyly. Gooigi sat up, showing his hand and arm movements to Luigi to see if the man could elaborate.

“Oh, you’re interested in sign language, huh?” He chirped, excited about introducing new concepts to his friend. Gooigi nodded, getting caught up in the mood. “Well, it’s a way of speaking using your hands instead of your voice.”

Luigi looked bashful for a moment. “Actually… I thought ghosts talked like that for a while since all they do is make spooky noises.”

Gooigi let out a warbling chuckle. It was good to know he wasn’t the only one ignorant of certain customs. Living with E. Gadd had him believing all humans were as intelligent and distant as the scientist. He was glad to know he was wrong.

“Yeah, I know much better now, don’t you worry about that.” He leaned further onto the couch, the material around Gooigi’s head deformed from the weight. “Do you speak with ghosts like that? I’ve never heard you talk so I’m curious.”

Gooigi shook his head. He didn’t speak at all, not Specter Speak nor English. He could probably say a few words if he tried, but he just didn’t have the necessary parts. Maybe he would gain the ability to create them if he had another growth spurt, but he doubted that would happen again. However, this sign language sounded viable for him to use instead. Surely it wouldn’t be too hard for him to learn. If the ghosts at the Last Resort can speak two languages with no body, then he could do sign language with one.

“Hmmm.” Luigi pushed himself up from the couch and brought a hand under his chin. He stared off into space, thinking intently. Then he snapped his fingers, turning back to Gooigi. “I can help you learn!” Gooigi’s eyes widened reflexively. “We can get some books from the royal library, I know Peach has quite the collection, and I can hire a tutor once we got the basics down. I should go call…”

Luigi stopped.

“Ah… I’m getting ahead of myself again…” He mumbled.

Gooigi hopped up from the couch and grabbed the plumber’s hands. Luigi looked up in surprise, not expecting the blob to move so quickly. His eyes widened as he took in the serious expression on Gooigi’s face. His brows were drawn together, lips pulled into a hard line, and eyes trained on his own. He let out a soft gasp; the emotion swirling in the blob’s eyes made him shiver. Gooigi squeezed his hands, staring down at him to try and get his feelings across.

“A-ah,” Luigi started, flustered voice barely leaving his throat. “Y-yeah, I should have known you’d be excited too.”

Gooigi smiled, happy the man understood.

Luigi looked down, overwhelmed by the position he was in. He squirmed in place, hands warming up in Gooigi’s palms. The blob released his grip on the plumber but let his hands stay resting on his own.

It seemed like these instances of bashfulness were getting more and more frequent with the plumber. Gooigi didn’t think he was being so overbearing to illicit such responses, but then again what did he know? Luigi was a shy person, it made sense for him to act a little withdrawn, but these instances have all happened when he was in contact with Gooigi. He studied the man, watching the fidgeting get worse. He didn’t take his hands away; he simply stood and allowed himself to be held. Was he stuck? Was this normal? Why was he getting redder? The questions swirled around in his minds.

It was the first time he put stock in this phenomena and it was a bit worrying. He was afraid he was making Luigi unhappy during these moments. He read that humans turn red for many reasons. Anger, sadness, embarrassment, desire, etc. He seriously doubted it was something like desire or anger; he hasn’t done anything in his knowledge to incur Luigi’s wrath and he had nothing for which Luigi would desire so it must be one of the middle two.

Finally, the situation became too much for the man and he began to stammer. “U-um… M-maybe we should start the tour… now. If you’d like, of course. I did promise we’d do it today.”

Gooigi nodded, taking the cue. As cute as it was, prolonging Luigi’s unease wasn’t very polite of him and he was determined to reclaim the title of favorite house guest.

He returned to his place on the couch and down the cup of coffee on the table. As his goo absorbed the cooled liquid, he heard Luigi muttering behind him.

“…So embarrassing… acting like this… just a friend…” A slow whine followed.

Gooigi hummed, he was happy to hear he was still Luigi’s friend. Surely whatever he was embarrassed about wasn’t too bad. Nothing Luigi could do would make him think less of the man, especially not when he was the reason for his flourishing sentience. Nothing could be worse than the concoctions E. Gadd would pour onto him when he was just a puddle on the floor.

With a little coaxing, Gooigi was able to get Luigi in gear for the tour. They started on the right side of the house, one place where the movers did not go. The hallway had fours doors, only one of which was open. Luigi quickly showed him the extra bedroom and bathroom on the right of the hallway; they were decorated minimalistically, a complete contrast from the coziness of the rest of the house. The room had hints of pink and yellow, it looked like a room fit for a princess. The bathroom had a similar theme but was stocked like a primary guest bathroom since it was so close to the living room.

Across from the bathroom was a hard-oak door. The engravings on it were much more intricate than any other door in the house. It looked old world compared to the modern doors just across the hall.

“Let’s save that for later, I want it to be a surprise.”

They moved down to the end of the hall where the only open door sat waiting. Luigi pushed inside and motioned for the blob to follow. Inside was a well-organized home office; greenery sat on the sills of both windows looking healthy and well loved. Shelves with knickknacks and little clusters of books lined the left most wall and framed pictures of past adventures littered the other surfaces. Straight in front of the door was a dark mahogany desk with a laptop sitting on top. The back was covered in stickers, some cute characters and others sports logos. A cushy office chair was pushed into the desk with a blanket hung over the back.

It was a mixture of modern and classic and it fit Luigi’s personality perfectly.

“Here’s my office, I don’t use it much these days for more than storage, but sometimes I feel like sitting in here and pretending I have an important office job.” He said.

Gooigi continued inside looking at the shelves. There were a few objects he didn’t recognize like a glowing chunk of starry candy and a glowing pink crown with two black eyes sitting in a display case. One thing that did catch his attention was a backpack that reminded him of the Poltergust. He reached for the pack but pulled back his hands before they made contact. Luigi noticed his hesitance and grabbed the pack for him, handing it to the blob.

“This is the balloon pack I was talking about earlier. It’s sort of like the Poltergust, isn’t it?” He opened a hatch on top; a few balloons popped out of the hatch and fully inflated in seconds. “E. Gadd made these special balloons that inflate with a modified helium gas. It’s so light it can lift me off the ground and I’m not light.” He chuckled.

Gooigi nodded but silently disputed Luigi’s weight. To the blob he almost weighed like nothing, it was simply the balloons that were weak.

He slipped on the pack and started to float. Gooigi warbled a startled cry as he rose up, afraid he wouldn’t stop; but he slowed his decent to a halt once he was a foot off the ground. Luigi laughed, squirming around in the air to face the blob.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry, I’m practically a pro at this now.” He punctuated by pointing his thumb at his chest. “The pack determines how much helium is put in the balloons so I don’t do too high and they automatically replace when they’re destroyed.” He rubbed a hand through his hair. “Mario liked jumping on them too much for that feature to be excluded.”

The plumber pressed a button on the straps and the balloons returned to their hatch, lowering Luigi to the ground in the process.

“Do you want to try?” He offered.

Gooigi shook his head. He’d had enough time in the air after the hotel collapsed.

Luigi showed him the special pocket where he kept his golden balloons for people who got 50 stars. It sparkled brilliantly for a thin sheet of golden rubber. The pack was returned to the shelf and Gooigi continued his walk around the office.

He approached a window behind the desk and found his main sight trained on a small Piranha Plant. It was dormant, snoozing away in the sun. Gooigi’s body prickled a bit at the dangerous plant; why would Luigi have something like this in his home?

“Oh, did you find Nia?” Luigi walked around the blob, making a beeline for the plant.

Gooigi grabbed his arm, pulling him back. He must have miscalculated his strength because Luigi flew back too quickly and hit the blob roughly. Arms were produced from his body and wrapped themselves around the man to catch him. Luigi’s eyes were wide and he could feel the blood beginning to rush to his face. Gooigi quickly removed the man from his arms, not wanting to make him uncomfortable again.

The noise of their scuffle must have woken up the plant because a squeaky yawn interrupted the scene. Luigi got his balance and made his way to the plant.

“It’s alright, Gooigi, Nia is a good girl. She’s not old enough to hurt anybody yet.” He cooed, picking up the pot and snuggling it to his chest.

This _Nia _emerged from the pot and began flapping its mouth at Luigi.

“Yes, I know, you’re hungry. Give me a minute.” He put the pot down and opened a drawer of the desk. Inside was a box of dried fruits. He picked a strawberry from the box and placed it on Nia’s outstretched tongue.

Instantly, small teeth slipped from the plant’s gums and stabbed into the strawberry. It shattered and Nia closed her mouth to savor the treat.

The look on Gooigi’s face must have been quite baffled because Luigi was quick to explain.

“Ah… yeah, it is kind of weird for me to have a Piranha plant, huh?” Gooigi nodded fervently, making Luigi giggle.

“She’s not mine, I’m baby sitting for a friend. Well… I wouldn’t call him a friend. An acquaintance more like.” He trailed off a bit. “Anyway! We are both members of Smash and he has some matches he needs to do and doesn’t have time to watch her. So I offered to do it.”

Luigi stopped, grimacing for a moment.

“Actually… I didn’t offer, he kind of… _bit at me_ until I said yes. I’m a bit of a pushover, hehe.”

Gooigi bristled, his fingertips extending into claws. He growled, the sound reverberating throughout his body. Now that he was here, there wouldn’t be any more of that coercion if he had anything to say about it.

Luigi visibly shivered at the noise. The blob noticed and forced his growl down. No, he didn’t need to be scaring his plumber. He would be protecting him one way or another.

“A-ah, its alright, really.” He stammered. “Petey is a bit rude, but he means well. He wouldn’t leave Nia with just anyone you know. It’s kind of flattering that he trusts me with her”

More like he trusts you’ll be too afraid to make a mistake, he argued internally.

Either way, Luigi did look happy caring for the little plant. He looked motherly as he fed pieces of fruit to her, cradling her in his arms. Gooigi felt an odd warmth in his gut at the sight. He was aware that humans and ghosts had deep connections to their children, but it was interesting to see two different species getting along. E. Gadd often spoke of how people could bond with anything—even a rock—due to their empathy. During his younger days, he often wondered if he was capable of basic emotions. It was a point he returned to often the less and less he felt, but when he met Luigi, it was like the floodgates had opened.

Perhaps the warmth was a feeling of happiness for the plumber, he wasn’t sure what else it could be.

After a few more pieces of fruit, Nia sunk back into the dirt and snuggled in. The two watched for a moment before a soft snoring started up confirming she was asleep.

“There she goes again. I was worried about how long she sleeps but that’s apparently super normal for them.”

They made their way out of the office; Luigi kept the door ajar so he could hear if Nia awoke. Luigi lead him back down the hall and into a room near the entrance. It had two machines side by side and shelves stocked with soft blankets, comforters, and pillows.

“Here’s the laundry room.” He said, opening his arms to accentuate the rooms size. “I doubt you’ll need to use it unless those clothes come off…” Luigi’s eyes widened and he pressed his lips together. Gooigi shot him a confused look at the sudden silence but he shook it off fairly quickly.

He coughed, “Anyway, um… H-here is where I store any unused bedding so if there’s something, you’re for it’ll be in here.”

Gooigi looked around and admired how organized the room was. There were a few racks on the wall where some sweaters and jeans were hanging. One sweater was more novel than the rest; it was white with red spots and two black eyes on the front. It looked rather new; maybe it was a gift.

They moved back towards the bedroom hall and stood in front of Luigi’s room. The double doors were old, similarly to the other door from before. Above the knob on the right door was a large keyhole, big enough for Gooigi to enter and still be able to control the appendage.

Luigi opened the doors and showed Gooigi inside; the room was covered in plush white carpet with dark green walls. Decorative tapestries were hung above the queen-sized bed on the right side of the room, while on the left was another door that lead to a fancy master bathroom. It was a bit messy with clothes on the floor in and around the laundry basket. The bed was flush with plush pillows, soft blankets, and a thick comforter. With how warm Luigi had been getting recently it must be sweltering underneath all that fabric.

“It’s not much but its mine. I sort of splurged more on the bathroom than this room though, I get covered in too much ectoplasm not to have a decent shower.”

Gooigi itched to go through the armoire and cabinets and see what was inside. His minds were in overdrive to pick up all the little things Luigi had done to make this room his own. His own bedroom seemed barren comparatively, but he’d only been here a day.

“I know your room is kind of bare,” He started, seemingly reading Gooigi’s thoughts. “But we’ll have plenty of time to decorate it the way you like. Its your room no matter how long you decide to stay.”

Luigi looked back at the blob and smiled lovingly, a kind of smile that brought back that warm feeling in full force. Gooigi gave his own smile in return, his false eyes squinting at how much space the grin took. The man walked over and grabbed Gooigi’s hand and started pulling him out of the room.

“Come on, I have to show you the best room in the house.”

Gooigi trotted behind the plumber until they made their way to the old door. With a bit of effort, Luigi pushed it open and stood aside so the blob could enter first. Gooigi’s minds all collectively stopped at the sight inside.

A library sat behind the door, fully stocked with books of all colors and sizes. Some spines more faded than others showing their age and favoritism. The books shelves almost touched the ceiling with the tops being covered in more books. Gooigi spun around to soak it all in, every sight in his body was trained on everything they could see to the point that he felt like going into stasis from all the information he was taking in.

To the left of the room was a fireplace almost identical to the one in the livingroom; and—if he looked hard enough—he could see Luigi’s chair and the TV through the grating. Two reading chairs sat facing the fireplace with a small coffee table in between. A lamp and some coasters laid on the table.

“Welcome to the library,” He started, Gooigi made his way to the expansive shelves as he spoke. “This used to be a storage room before I renovated, the shelves were so old they could barely hold a pamphlet without splintering. I often read in Peach’s library when she wasn’t kidnapped and I found myself yearning for a quiet place to just sit and get lost in a good book.”

Gooigi carefully eased a book from the shelf and looked at the front. It was a self-help book that focused on socially inept people; there were chapters for basic conversation and reading physical cues.

Luigi caught him looking at the book and cringed. “A gift from E. Gadd, if I remember correctly. I think he needs it more than me but I don’t have the courage to return it.”

Gooigi nodded but made sure to leave the book a little cocked out of place so he’d remember where it was.

“A few of these I bought myself, but the rest are gifts from my family. The adventure section is mostly from Mario and the romance is from Captain Toad. I have a section with art books from Yoshi if you’re interested. Everything else is donated from Peach’s library. She’s more interested in first editions anyway.” He explained.

The blob found another book with a golden spine. It looked to be a book about a girl playing with star creatures. He showed the book to Luigi, cocking his head to the side.

“Ah, you have good taste. A friend of mine wrote that one, it’s a bit autobiographical but she didn’t specify which parts.” He walked over admiring the illustration on the front. “Hey, if you’d like, you can read that in here while I prepare dinner. I like making my pasta from scratch so it will take a while.”

Gooigi looked from Luigi to the book and back to Luigi, a pleased expression on his faux face. He made his way over to the leftmost chair and settled in. Like the couch, it sucked him into the furniture. He noticed he didn’t stick or leave residue when he sat; his new membrane must have strengthened overnight.

He watched as Luigi walked out of the room and leave the blob to his own devices. The book was a solid weight in his lap, the adventure inside was so close to being discovered. It was exciting reading a book that wasn’t science related; he was delighted already.

Gooigi slipped a few fingers under the hard cover and cracked open the book. The letters looked handwritten but oddly perfect at the same time. It took not even a minute for the first few lines to suck him in and the illustrations expanded the world being presented to him. He lost himself in the book as ambient noises from the kitchen filled his senses.

He was content.


	14. Blossoming Desire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gooigi sees something he probably shouldn't

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW!!! We're finally getting into the saucy tags I have on this fic! First time I've ever written anything like this so please be kind to me 0w0. If you don't wanna read, the segway into the scene if when Gooigi goes to bed so just stop reading there.

Gooigi only made it two thirds into the book before Luigi called him for dinner. He felt sluggish as he rose from the chair; it had been so long since he’d stayed that motionless in human form. Apparently, his slow return to the dining room was too long because Gooigi soon found himself with a lap full of Polterpup after the dog had thrown himself through the living room wall. The pup nipped the edge of the book and lifted it from his hands, depositing it on the table before exiting the way he came in.

“Sorry about him,” Luigi started as Gooigi entered the kitchen. “He gets antsy around dinner time. Also, he’s not used to waiting on more than one person.” The blob trilled, forgiving the dog’s impatience. In fact, he should have been thanking the specter for getting him back into Luigi’s presence so quickly.

The two made their way to the dining room, both plates securely held in the plumber’s hands. He placed the plates, sat down, and dug into the meal. A hefty pile of fettucine alfredo was curled masterfully onto the plate; white cream sauce covering the perfectly cooked noodles evenly and created an aroma that made Gooigi wish he could salivate. He almost felt bad ruining the presentation, but he refused to leave any of the man’s cooking on the plate lest he feel the meal was underappreciated.

Gooigi paced himself this time, not wanting to make Luigi uncomfortable by being the only one eating. He picked up a fork and carefully spun the utensil until it was well wrapped with pasta and lifted it to his faux mouth. Like earlier in the day, he created an area the food could reside and opened his mouth to accommodate the large forkful he had prepared. The food went in easy, but he misjudged the size of his mouth and got a few dollops of sauce on his lips. The sauce laid atop his new membrane, not entering his body to be eaten or damaging it.

He removed the fork and—while digesting the food he’d managed to get in—parsed a way to remove the sauce. From his time watching E. Gadd and Luigi eat, he remembered how useful the tongue was for aiding in the mastication process. And while he did not need to chew his food, perhaps a tongue could help him seem less messy.

Keeping his mouth formed, Gooigi created a tongue like appendage from inside the space and controlled it as carefully as he could. Unfortunately, like most of his first attempts, the appendage wasn’t as smooth as he hoped. The tongue—long and forked from lack of experience—left his mouth and, thankfully, cleaned both the sauce spots first try. It flailed a bit before returning to his mouth and reintegrating with his body.

Gooigi hummed, happy to have succeeded no matter how odd, but a choked sound in front of him caught his attention.

Luigi’s face was bright red, his eyes wide and staring at Gooigi’s mouth. His cheeks were full of food to the point that some sauce was dribbling from the corner. The blob tilted his head; he hoped this wasn’t a sign of human choking. Even if he were, the blob could always fish the offending food out for him.

The man inhaled sharply, chewing quickly and grabbing a napkin to dab at the corners of his mouth. He was still red-faced and clearly surprised.

“W-what was that?!”

Hmm, he must not have seen the appendage, it would explain his confusion. He did swipe at the sauce fairly quickly. Gooigi opened his mouth and reformed the tongue, having it loll out lazily so Luigi could see it better. The end of the tongue ended at the base of Gooigi’s chin. He would have to fix the length later.

This only served to deepen the flush and cause Luigi to sit up ramrod straight.

“A-ah… t-that’s… that’s new…” He trailed off, his train of thought visibly stopping.

Gooigi nodded. Yes, it was new, good catch. He smiled, bringing the tongue back in and closing up his mouth. He was happy to see that Luigi kept tabs on his new features, it was nice to be noticed.

Returning to his meal, he didn’t catch the way Luigi shrunk back into his seat and squirmed in place. The way his hands trembled a bit as he picked back up his fork. The way he almost missed his mouth as he moved the fork to his face; his mind seemingly off somewhere else, somewhere that made his eyes a bit glazed over.

What he did catch was the quick shake of the man’s head as he forced himself back into the moment. He gave the blob a tired smile to avoid his concern and went back to his meal like nothing had happened.

To Gooigi, it all seemed normal, but to the plumber something _interesting_ was on his mind.

-

The two finished their meal and made their way to the living room. Luigi clicked on the evening news and then returned to the kitchen for something else. Gooigi sat in his spot on the couch as the news Toad began recounting the important information of the day. Polterpup walked up to the edge of the couch and hopped up to a spot next to the blob. The pup dropped his head onto Gooigi’s lap, staring up at the goo creature with pleading eyes. Gooigi hummed and threaded a hand through his ghostly coat.

The dog rolled over, presenting his belly for more affection and Gooigi obliged. The fur on Polterpup’s belly was much softer than on his back; the fine hairs felt different on the blob’s new skin than it did in the hotel. He could actually feel the softness more acutely now that his goo had a barrier to better analyze it.

Polterpup relaxed his head back onto Gooigi’s lap and accepted the pets happily. The blob had a feeling that if he stopped he would be severely reprimanded by the dog so he kept it up. His saving grace came as Luigi returned from the kitchen with a small bowl of cookies and two cups on a tray. His footsteps made Polterpup shoot up from his lap and drop back onto the floor to better follow the man. A stray paw dug into Gooigi’s side and forced a divet along with a sound from the blob.

Luigi tutted the pup before setting down one cup in front of his guest.

“Here, I made sure it was cool enough this time so you shouldn’t have any trouble drinking it.” He said, releasing the cup onto a coaster.

The amber liquid swirled inside the cup, moving little specks around in the gentle whirlpool. Unlike the coffee from this morning, there was no steam rising from the drink. Gooigi leaned forward to observe the liquid more, unsure of what he had been served.

“It’s a lavender tea.” He stated. “I’ve been having some trouble sleeping recently-“ ‘Because of the ghosts’ was left unsaid. ”-so I started drinking sleepy tea before bed. I doubt it’ll do anything to you, but you never know. I mean, you may taste like coffee but I don’t remember getting any caffeine from when I…” He cut himself off again but twirled his hand to finish his point.

It was a thought-provoking question: How would a product that promoted sleep react with his possibly caffeinated body?

Gooigi hummed contemplatively and reached for the cup. Despite his dissatisfaction with E. Gadd, he did bring a level of curiosity to his personality. A little experiment would do him good; like a brain training puzzle or a Rubik’s Cube.

He sipped the tea slowly, savoring the small, sweet twinkles of honey in the liquid. It went down smoother than the coffee and settled nicely in his throat to be taken in. Gooigi placed the cup back down and sat, allowing the tea to mingle with his genetic makeup. After a few moments of inactivity, he decided to finish the rest of his drink.

Luigi sipped quietly as he watched the new Toad trade puns with their host. Something about warehouses being stolen from and no evidence left behind, nothing too important. Gooigi watched as Luigi became more and more relaxed as he sipped his tea. He was beginning to transition into the comfortable log he remembered from this morning. Observing his plumber enter into a nesting mindset was fascinating.

Nesting… was that the right word for it? I mean, humans did call their sleeping quarters bedrooms, but they really were just glorified nests. Their beds were piled high with soft items and pillows in order to build walls, the storage held their treasures and belongings, some humans even stored their young in their nests before giving them their own! Ghosts often built theirs in areas that meant a lot to them when they were alive, but they were not really used for sleeping. Perhaps that was enough of a difference to distinguish the two apart.

Either way, the way Luigi looked now, he could see the plumber easily building up his nest for the night and curling up like a satisfied cat.

Gooigi’s own nest wasn’t as plush as his plumber’s, but it suited something like him perfectly.

“Hmm…” Luigi started. “I thought this would help me more…” He mumbled off, his words too quiet for the blob to hear.

Gooigi trilled, not sure if he was being addressed. Luigi looked up and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“S-sorry, I was talking to myself.” He said, before returning his gaze to the TV.

As they watched, Gooigi noticed the man’s relaxed demeanor reverse. His foot tapped insistently on the rug below while his fingers tapped rhythmically on his cup. Suddenly, Luigi crossed one leg over the other. He squeezed them together before relaxing and taking a shaky sip of his tea. A soft blush dusted his cheeks; so subtle Gooigi’s main gaze could barely see it, but he knew what it looked like by now.

He could tell that the man was having trouble paying attention to the screen. He didn’t even notice when the news ended and some other show started its slot for the night. His fidgeting got progressively worse and it seemed like he was waiting for something…

Gooigi shrugged, not wanting to bother his friend anymore today.

The blob threw back the last dregs of the drink—which he hoped were edible—and placed the empty cup on the tray. He waved at Luigi to see if he would like to add his cup as well. The plumber shimmied in his seat, empty cup in his grip. He seemed like he wanted to place it but something was preventing him.

“A-ah, d-don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of the dishes in a minute. Why don’t you head in for the night, I’m still watching this…” He looked up, trying to see what was playing. “C-crime drama about geese… yeah, that.”

Gooigi stood still for a moment, weighing his options. He could pry, find out what was making the man so jittery, and probably get himself scolded in the process, or he could go to his tank and listen to music.

…

Boy did he want to pry! But… he promised himself he wouldn’t embarrass Luigi anymore, so he would let it go this once.

He could only hope the plumber hadn’t come down with some disease and he was missing the signs.

Gooigi nodded, waving to his friend before turning around and making his way to his room. He heard a faint ‘goodnight’ as he walked.

Unbenounced to Luigi, the blob still kept an eye on the man as he left. He saw Luigi slowly uncross his legs and place the cup on the tray and put his head in his hands. He shuffled in his seat, a long exhale of breath escaping the cracks in his fingers. As Gooigi turned into his room, he heard a faint, strained noise followed by a soft “Oh boy…”

He was probably fine.

-

Remember earlier when Gooigi questioned “_How would a product that promoted sleep react with his possibly caffeinated body?_”

Bad. The answer was bad.

Gooigi tossed and turned in his tank, slapping ungracefully against the glass in an attempt to shock his body back into subservience. He felt uncomfortable, like little ants were walking around his body. Except replace ants with thoughts and that’s where he was at. His consciousness just didn’t know how to react to being forcibly relaxed and took it as a challenge. He’d been able to enter stasis for half an hour until the tea kicked in and he dreaded having to deal with this feeling all night long.

Before, he would’ve had to deal with the discomfort, but here he had options.

Gooigi tried turning up the heat, turning down the heat, changing the music, putting on podcasts, frosting the glass, unfrosting the glass, and even debated turning on the spin function. In the end, he decided a walk would help him burn off this feeling.

He dropped out of the tank unceremoniously; purposely splatting on the ground as another attempt at beating the feeling out of him. He took shape and made his way out the open door. The first odd thing he noticed was the sound of teeth grinding on bone coming from the living room. Gooigi walked over and found Polterpup curled up on his rug in front of the fireplace with a rawhide in his jaws. The pup looked content and unphased that he was not currently in his master’s room.

Hmm…

Gooigi stopped his train of thought, he had only been here one night, maybe this was a common occurrence that he simply hadn’t seen before. Nothing weird had to happen just because Gooigi and Luigi were under the same roof.

Satisfied, the blob made his way down the hall where the library resided. He thought about finishing his book, but a fresh wave of murmuring under his skin turned him away from the cozy nook. He wanted to fully enjoy his story. He mosied into the office, taking a look at some of the knickknacks he might’ve missed.

He didn’t bother turning on the lights, his spectral makeup included a very good night vision option. Out of the corner of his sight he spotted a gaudy purple bowtie that looked oddly familiar. Ah, he remembered now, it was a gift from the magician sisters. He made his way to the shelf that held the bowtie; it still looked bright purple even in the darkness and glowed faintly with a calming aura.

Gooigi touched the bowtie and watched as it glowed momentarily before returning to normal. He touched it a few more times and inferred that it reacted only when ghosts interacted with it. What that meant? He didn’t know, but a magical item like this was fairly special in the day and age of transformation crowns and mushrooms.

He got a quick peak at Nia, happy to see she was still fast asleep, and exited the room. He still felt restless and decided that if he continued to feel this way after he walked the other hall, he’d bother Luigi to let him outside.

He hummed; he liked the sound of the night air on his membrane. The house was too perfectly attuned to his body temperature, he was sure that a change in environment would fix his issue.

Gooigi passed by the dog once more and spared him a glance. He didn’t seem to have made any significant progress on the bone. He’d wager it would take another hour until Polterpup was done. He continued through the living room and back to the hallway leading to his and Luigi’s room. His footsteps barely made a sound as he padded down the hall and into the open bathroom at the end.

The blob hadn’t looked at ‘his’ bathroom yet, not really needing the room to being with. Bathrooms were notorious for their water content and—even with his new skin—Gooigi and water did not mix. It was small with a red theme to it. The tub was a shower combo with a window opposite the door a little above the shower head. The moon wasn’t high enough to let in that much light, but in a few hours the room would be flooded with it. Small, scented candles sat unlit atop the toilet tank but still perfumed the bathroom in a flowery scent.

All that he wanted to explore was directly visible from the door so there was no need to enter. Gooigi huffed, the prickling unease still not gone from his body. He would have to bother his friend after all.

He walked over to the double door across the hall and stood in front of it. There were small slips of light coming from under the door. Hmm, he thought, Luigi must still be awake. He raised a fist to knock, or well, _splat _on the door when he heard an odd noise come from inside the room.

Gooigi stopped, hand stilled and arm hovering in the air. He stayed still, waiting to see if the noise would come again. His senses pricked at the sound of a choked off whine, barely audible but just enough for him to pick up. The blob took a step closer, putting a hand to the door to try and hear more.

After a second, it came again, except more drawn out. Gooigi’s minds scrambled trying to look for an answer. Was this good? Bad? Surely it wasn’t anything awful, he would have been alerted. Or, was he right about the sickness? Luigi had been so tense all day.

Unknowingly, the blob had pressed further to the door. Both hands were pressed against the wood along with his forehead. Internally he was beginning to panic. If Luigi was in trouble he would hope that the plumber would call on him for assistance, but he didn’t know if their friendship was far enough along for that. Then there was the fact that Polterpup was busy in another room. It made no sense for Luigi to keep the dog out of his room if something bad was going to happen.

Gooigi growled quietly. It was frustrating not having the answers he wanted. That on top of the jittery energy trapped inside was starting to make him paranoid.

He greatly deliberated shoving himself under the door frame to get a look before he remembered the keyhole on the door. The blob looked down at the opening, it was big enough to fit a good amount of his goo into. Enough that his lesser sight could return images to the main hub. Gooigi nodded to himself and brought a finger to the keyhole.

His goo stretched inside the brass encasing until it made its way to the open air on the other side. From there he surveyed the room.

Everything seemed normal, the bathroom door was open and he spotted some fogged glass indicative of a recent shower. A damp towel laid on the floor next to Luigi’s bed and the man himself was laid atop the covers, but there was something… _off_ about his position.

His back was pushed into a mountain of pillows behind him with his head on it as well, tilted at an angle to look into his lap. His legs were bent in close as well, feet digging into the comforter below, anchoring himself to the bed. His left arm was hugged around the pillow his head laid and his hand was clenching the thing for dear life. His other arm was shoved between his legs and moved in a jerking motion.

Gooigi stared, confused and incredibly intrigued by what he saw. Never before had he seen Luigi look like this. Face bright red, his blue eyes pinched with tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. His lip was harshly bit between his teeth with little puffs of air being the only thing that escaped. He was tense, rolled up tight. Sometimes, his arm would move in a way that made his toes curl into the sheets and his eyes slam shut. His fingers grip so hard in the pillow his knuckles were white and accompanied by another drawn out whine. His face was pushed so far into the pillow Gooigi thought he’d suffocate until he turned back and started the process over.

The blob felt his body push itself closer; the trail of goo in the lock entering further into the room. He physically stopped himself from continuing. He didn’t know what was going on but he knew for sure it would stop if he was discovered.

His sight flickered to Luigi’s lower half. He noticed the man’s sleep pants were pushed to mid-thigh; underwear peeking out from the ruffled fabric. His shirt was shucked up under his arms revealing pink nipples, hardened by the air. Whatever the man was doing involved skin to skin contact. Being further into the room, he could hear the slick sounds coming from the man. Soft sighs escaped his lips as his arm, or maybe, his hand worked. 

He shivered, never before had he seen so much skin on display. It looked as soft and flushed as his face. His free hand twitched involuntarily; the desire to _touch_ shooting through the limb before disappearing.

Gooigi’s minds were buzzing. The sound—normally inaudible—threatened to give away his presence. But he couldn’t stop. The tea jitters mixing with _this_… there was no way he could quiet his thoughts. They mumbled to each other, trying to make sense of the scene before him.

Was he in pain? No, couldn’t be. He looked too… too something. Primal? Anticipatory? Maybe. Could be. He was so red. Was this desire? Desire… Such a concept. But the desire to what? What was the goal? What did he feel?

Could he feel it too?

Gooigi jerked back out of his thoughts, almost exiting the keyhole entirely, as a sharp inhale cut through Luigi’s teeth. His feet pressed harder into the mattress and his head flew back as his back arched. A long whine punched from the man’s throat. White liquid shot onto his chest in rapid spurts. The blob felt something in his gut twist at seeing the viscous liquid coat his plumber’s chest. Something inside him growled in fulfilment, but he didn’t know why.

Luigi sagged onto the bed, seemingly done. His knees knocked together as the hand above his head ran through his hair. Rough panting filled the room before quieting again, like he didn’t want anyone to hear. The dazed look in his eyes were back, but the deep satisfaction made Gooigi believe that this was the final goal.

He continued to watch as the man grabbed at a box of tissues on the nightstand and wipe away the liquid. The flush on his face wasn’t as red but still present. He seemed… fuzzier now, more relaxed.

Is that what the tea did? He thought. If so, then it definitely didn’t work on him.

Something felt extra intrusive about watching Luigi clean himself up so he retreated from the keyhole. He stood outside the door for a moment to gather himself; when that didn’t work he turned and began moving.

The walk back to his room was agonizingly slow as to make sure his footsteps weren’t heard. He looked into the living room for a moment to check on the dog and found him still gnawing at the bone. Gooigi crept into his room, slid into the entry port, and shimmied inside his tank. He frosted the glass and simply laid there.

He had never seen anything like that before. Not during his training nor from the human etiquette books he was given. Something about it seemed so private yet so alluring at the same time. Taboo… yes, taboo was the word. Something no one, not even Polterpup was allowed to see.

And he’d watched.

_He’d seen._

…

There was no way in hell he’d ask Luigi about it. Something in the back of his minds told him the reaction would be legendary. But his curiosity could not be stopped.

He hummed rearranging himself in the tank.

Gooigi would have to turn to the library and see if anything came up. He would use a computer, but his goo often stuck to the keys and he didn’t know any words to describe the act he witnessed. Then there was the fact that E. Gadd could easily check his search history from the tank. Luigi could do the same on his laptop.

No, he would do it the old-fashioned way, and that was that.

He curled up, turning the heat up a little to promote stasis. His consciousness would have a field day with this for a few nights, maybe more depending on what he found. The blob metaphorically shut his eyes and let his minds wander, slowly shutting out his senses until he was drifting. Unlike during the T-Rex incident, this kind of drift felt nice, deserved. Like a reward for a long day’s work.

This was the kind of unconsciousness humans had, he was sure of it.

As he drifted off, he noted a small change in his body.

The jitteriness was gone…

Oh well, that was a mystery for another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This first masturbation scene is one of the reasons I've taken so long with the fic, I wanted to make sure it felt right narratively. I've kind of sort of got no plan for the coming chapters except for a few important bits here and there, but I have no intention of stopping now! Hope y'all enjoyed and for anyone in the Houston area, stay safe!


	15. Virtue of Knowledge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gooigi does some research.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Been a while, huh? I thought I'd be able to have this posted on Halloween but the day before Thanksgiving is good enough lol. Can't believe Luigi's Mansion 3 is already a year old and I've only made 15 chapters. Please enjoy the latest and greatest and make sure to stay safe this holiday season!

Gooigi awoke to the rapping of knuckles on his bedroom door.

“Gooigi… are you awake, breakfast is ready.”

The blob shot up into an amorphous humanoid shape and began looking around wildly. His undefined arm more like a tree trunk with his fingers like roots spreading across the metal below. His head swung around to see Luigi standing in the doorway, his hands clasped and a nervous smile on his face.

“I didn’t wake you, did I?” he asked softly.

Gooigi shook his head, not wanting his friend to feel responsible for his current state, even though he was.

The man nodded, looking him up and down for a moment before excusing himself and heading back to the living room.

Gooigi slumped back down into a puddle, letting his consciousness catch up with itself. The events of the day before came back in a slow trickle. The restlessness, the curiosity, the new side of his friend he’d seen. A feeling washed over him as he sat; a trepidation mixed with giddiness that came up when his thoughts turned to Luigi. How was he supposed to act? Was the most prevailing question.

He swirled in his tank when the feeling became more physical than mental, a breathlessness overtaking him despite his lack of lungs. After a moment, he slithered to the exit and formed outside.

Whether or not he was prepared to face Luigi didn’t matter, he’d been called for breakfast so he would go.

His goo prickled subtly when his sight landed on Luigi’s bedroom doors. He forced himself to look away and march to the living room. When he entered, he was greeted with a smile. Two cups of coffee were placed on the table, the one on his side was noticeably cooler than the other. Some fruit and pastries were on a plater in the middle of the coffee table.

“There you are.” Luigi said, his voice bright. “I was worried you’d fallen back asleep.”

Gooigi trilled a morning greeting, taking note of the healthy flush on the man’s cheek. He looked well rested, a little more energetic than the night before. The subtle looks Luigi gave him he attributed to the coffee placed in front of him.

He reached for his cup as Luigi got comfortable in his chair. The warm porcelain heating his membrane gently. When he was sure Luigi wasn’t looking, he slipped a tendril of goo into the drink to check the temperature. He trusted his friend, but he wasn’t taking the chance. The morning news was welcome background noise to his thoughts.

He hated to rush this time with his plumber, but Gooigi’s mind was reeling and his ever-evolving conscious demanded answers.

He didn’t mean that to sound so serious, but it was true.

In a way, Gooigi feared the metamorphosis he’s gone through since the beginning. He’s grown, his awareness has expanded, and the emotions being unlocked made him so much more than the cup of Goo that loved music. He attributed that growth to Luigi, that he would never deny. Luigi was a beautiful, kind, caring man and he would have never gotten this far without him. Because of this, he _needed_ to be able to label these feelings and actions if he was ever going to… going to… going to what?

…

Well, maybe he’d find that out later.

Unlike when he was at E. Gadd’s lab, he had time and freedom to explore. And he knew he wouldn’t be monitored so thoroughly. As much as he hated to admit it, the professor’s mind was a steel trap and Luigi’s… not so much.

He shoved the food presented into his faux mouth and watched Luigi transform from his groggy soft state to the more aware anxious one he was used to. Every moment was precious, even when the man choked on his coffee a bit.

-

He made his way to the library under the guise of finishing his book from yesterday. Polterpup followed behind and settled in front of the freshly started fireplace. Gooigi ran a little cold, much colder than humans, but even he could feel the chill seeping through the cracks of the windows. It would explain Luigi’s behavior, perhaps that ritual was a way to get warm.

The blob made his way towards the back of the library and began reading over the titles of the books he found. Tomes, manuals, short stories, and more were carefully sorted and stacked on the shelves. The arrangement didn’t follow the dewy decimal system, but Gooigi noted some of the books were sorted by color. He moved his lesser sights to the front of his body so he could read titles from all heights.

One flew over the Cluckbooms nest, The Cask of Cerise Double, The Odyssey, The Ukiki’s Paw, and other well-known stories passed Gooigi by. He walked up and down the rows of literature in search of anything, _anything, _to do with biology. Basic anatomy at least.

He paused, allowing himself a break before he set off again. The sound of Luigi walking down the hall and into the office next door filled his senses. He panicked for a moment, unsure of what to do if he was found, but then he remembered he’d been given access to all the books in the library. And its not like he could tell Luigi outright what he wanted to read, so he was safe.

The sound of Nia awakening from her slumber filtered down the hall; as did the munching of fruit and the babbling the plumber did at the infant. Seedling? Baby? Whatever.

He reoriented his vision and continued his search, letting his fingertips glide over the spines of the books as he walked. It seemed like an appropriate thing to do.

At last, he came upon a section of large books in the corner of one of the rows. Their spines looked brand new but with a layer of dust coating them. Gooigi wiped some of the dust off but then immediately shook his hands to try and remove the residue. He flailed, not wanting the particles to seep past his membrane. Gooigi dropped his form while keeping the dust covered arm above his blob body and zipped across the room to Polterpup’s side. With a short apologetic chirp, he wiped the hand onto the dog’s spectral fur leaving a small grey smudge behind.

The dog gave him a look between confusion and indignation before licking the spot and settling back down to sleep.

Alright, well… he needed a cloth.

Luigi was still busy in the office as he walked down the hall and into the kitchen. He picked a dark colored towel from the handle of the oven and return to the library with his treasure in tow. He wiped down the spines and crouched to get a better look at the titles.

He warbled excitedly; these were the exact same books from E. Gadd’s lab! The only difference was that they were a newer addition. Must have been gifted to the plumber at some point. Gooigi gripped the two books between the towel and pulled them from the shelf. A small cloud of dust followed that the blob morphed his body away from. It looked like his torso was caught in a windstorm, all warped and stretched away from the offending debris.

When it settled, he relaxed and rolled to a standing height. The books were hefty in his newly sturdy hands; the crisp corners of the hard cover digging into his skin. Normally, he wouldn’t have been able to hold such things. This membrane thing was really working out, if only E. Gadd had made him a little more waterproof.

By the time he made it back to the seating area, Polterpup had turned over and the fire was a gentle pulse of embers. The light dancing through the pups ghostly form and making a mosaic on the carpet. He chuffed out a laugh and set the books down on the center table. The two he chose should be close to what he saw the night before. Human Anatomy and Human Biology and Endocrinology. Gooigi’s faced turned into a sneer. No wonder this had been put away; these don’t sound very interesting to read.

Keeping with familiar concepts, Gooigi sat and brought the anatomy book over into his lap. Cracking it open, he began searching for the diagram he’d used a few days before as reference. After a moment he found exactly what he was looking for, musculature structures of a male and female unit. His sights roved over the male anatomical model, trying to see what Luigi could have possibly been touching. It all looked smooth and flat. He stopped, snapping his fingers in realization. Right! Humans weren’t a single layer, they had lots of layers like, um, like some popular vegetables. He was looking at only a single layer; Gooigi needed to find the layers between muscle and clothing.

He moved forward, flipping pages until reference to tissues and skin came up. Gooigi’s inside roiled at the sight of the models. It was extremely unnerving to see these creatures so… open. His consciousness kept bringing up images of Luigi being presented the same way and he shook himself violently to dispel them. No, he was done picturing his friend’s demise. They were safe here, it was fine. He was just satisfying his curiosity and then he wouldn’t have to worry about these images and instances any longer.

The blob swallowed, trying to push down the sensation his overactive imagination created. He thumbed through the pages until he found more intact human models. This time more extrusions were pictured. The females had pockets of fat hanging off their pectorals and more weight around their lower bodies. A slit was placed around the bottom of their torso between the legs. Another orifice, he mused, or possibly a protective sheath for a weapon. He always did wonder how humans lasted so long in a world with clawed and fanged creatures. But Luigi was male, so this didn’t have much relevance. He shifted his gaze over and studied the male model. The only thing of note was a protrusion around the same spot at the slit on the female. It had no protective casing and was flanked by another hanging bit.

Gooigi hummed, tilting his head.

Yes, it was making some sense. Humans used clothing in order to cover these parts from others, so they must have a significance outside of what the blob had observed.

It was still a little hard to wrap his head around. Yes, he was the first of his kind, but he knew more about ghosts than he did people. Ghosts wore clothes for fun, humans wore it to protect themselves and flaunt. Ghosts didn’t have these protrusions they needed to hide and if they did it was because they wanted them there and changed their spirit into such.

He looked through the other pages and took in the information he could, but nothing was helping him understand what Luigi had been doing. He shut the book and swapped it out for the other one on the table. Polterpup stood and stretched, his fur bristling and puffing up at the action. The dog smacked his lips and walked through the wall leading to the living room. The fire had been added to but was nowhere near roaring.

It was harder to find what he was looking for now. It was less about images and more about diagrams and information dumps. He read through as quickly as he could, taking in little bits of useful info that caught his interest. It wasn’t until he hit something called ‘reproduction’ that it started to sink in. Talk of hormones and mating culture seemed irrelevant until he got more in depth. Gooigi leaned in, bringing a tendril onto the page to follow under the words he was reading.

He knew about mating, to an extent. It was something creatures did in order to continue their species. Of course, humans were a bit different. They didn’t have seasons when they mated, it was an all-year-round event. They courted for long periods of time before binding themselves in a ceremony. That’s what Gooigi’s radio dramas told him at least. But he never really knew the intricacies.

That protrusion on the male model was a mating tool, something extremely delicate. Hypersensitive to both the wrong and right stimuli. Right stimuli… It needed to be touched, handled in a way pleasing to the male to work. And the hormonal component. Human males were quick to arousal… But what was arousal? The need to mate, the thoughts of mating, or maybe it was an environment factor? Was there a trigger, something the male thought of to bring these feeling on? The book didn’t specify.

But… one thing was clear.

The touches, the flushed face, hard breathing, fidgeting around the house, the squirming, keeping Polterpup outside his room…

Oh god, he’d intruded on Luigi’s mating ritual.

“Hey, Gooigi. How are things going?” Luigi asked from the door.

Gooigi slammed the book shut at the sound of his friend’s voice, smashing the tendril inside to bits. The noise startled Luigi up into the air a bit as he let out a yelp. He winced hard at the sensation of feeling being cut off from the unfortunate extrusion.

“Oho no, are you alright?!” Luigi shook off the shock and ran over, prying the book open and gasping at the splatter of goo inside. “Does it hurt? Do I need to get the peroxide?”

Gooigi dropped the book and grabbed Luigi by the shoulders, choppily shushing him from his panic. The man’s frazzled expression relaxed a bit at his poor attempt at soothing. He let out a deep breath and looked down at the disconnected goo.

“A-are you sure its fine? The last time it was everywhere you were…” Fighting the T-Rex, yes he remembered.

Gooigi nodded, looking down at Luigi and patting his shoulder. He bent down and held out his hand to the goo. Touching a finger to the splatter, his influence seeped back into the mess and revived it enough to transfer back into his body. In any other situation, he would have been able to call it back from far away, but the shock from him slamming the book shut jostled the connection too much.

He made a show of opening and closing his hand in front of Luigi as if to say ‘I’m fine, trust me. I can take worse.’. Luigi let out a nervous laugh and smiled up at the blob. He stared for a second before a puzzled expression came across his face.

“Hold on a moment-“ He started. He walked up to Gooigi, placing his hands on the blobs chest and standing on his toes. As he did this, Gooigi realized the top of the plumbers head barely went past his brows. “Did you get taller?!”

Gooigi chirped in surprise. He did, didn’t he? He did feel a little off this morning, but he attributed that to the night before. The blob looked around himself, seeing if anything else changed outside of his notice. Luigi dropped back to his normal height and walked around the blob as well.

“This is amazing, you’ve only been here a few days and you’re already growing. Ah, we really should be doing those check ins E. Gadd talked about.” He walked to the book on the floor and closed it, placing it back on the table. “How about we do that now so I don’t forget, eh?”

Gooigi nodded, letting himself be swept up in his growth spurt and leaving his new knowledge for later. It didn’t matter what he’d seen, it shouldn’t change his interactions with Luigi.

He was also happy Luigi hadn’t yet noticed what he’d been reading before he walked in. While Gooigi wasn’t a pro at social cues, he knew that conversation would be very awkward.

The plumber grabbed his hand and lead him back to the tank like the blob needed assistance. Though, the last time he’d been checked it was a harrowing experience for the both of them.

Luigi released the blob’s hand when they entered his bedroom and walked to the controls. He pursed his lips as he fiddled with the controls. A small smattering of pink dusted his cheeks while he worked. Gooigi looked down at the dark blue turtleneck the man was wearing, it looked massive on him. His head was almost completely engulfed by the neck, but he’d be lying if he said the man didn’t look comfy. He must have changed while Gooigi was reading. He moved to the curtain and looked out the window. The sun wasn’t anywhere near setting, but it certainly was later than he expected. A hard wind shook the trees, making the orange and yellow leaves dance across the backyard.

“Aha!” The machine’s main screen came on and Luigi turned the dial to select ‘spin cycle’. “I think it’s ready. Uh, don’t worry, I made sure it was still set to 3 like E. Gadd said.”

Gooigi hummed and made his way into the tank, laying flat across the glass floor and dropping his form in preparation.

Luigi reached over the start button and leaned back, unsure of what would happen.

“Alright, here we go…” He said as he pressed in the button.

The machine came to life and Gooigi began to spread across the sensors. He still felt like he was being spread too thin, but it was much more manageable. He could still actually see Luigi outside of the tank. A beeping began from the panel and the man jumped to hit a new flashing button. The tank came to a stop as Gooigi slid into a fruit rollup shape.

He began reforming as the machine read off his results.

_Specimen: Gooigi_

_Temperature: 68°F (Before maximum revolutions attained)_

_Overall Status: Good_

_Changes: Specimen has added an additional 1lb(s) to body weight. Estimated 2-inch height growth (Based on “Luigi Data” and “Goo Growth Data”)_

_Recommended Changes: More Physical and Mental Activity to continue growth rate_

_Slated Final Height/Weight: Unknown_

“Hmmm… physical and mental activity…” The man mused to himself.

Gooigi slipped out of the tank and stood next to the plumber, looking down a bit at the soft hair on his head. Something prideful whispered across his minds at the height difference, a primal part of him reveled at being more able to protect his plumber. Of course, Luigi could take care of himself, he’d proven that plenty, but that part still crooned its approval.

“Well, there’s not much to do around here physically, I never built that gym like my bro suggested.” He looked Gooigi up and down. “Good thing too, I don’t want you squished under a dumbbell.” Luigi snickered a bit at the image in his head. The blob frowned.

The man thought for a moment, pacing back and forth in front of the machine. He stopped, turning back to Gooigi.

“Oh! I know, you can help me walk Polterpup in the evenings.” He looked bashful. “I’ve been a little neglectful of that since you got here. But now we can do it every night, as a family!”

Luigi paused, letting his words sink in. Family… He’d said family. If Gooigi could breathe he would have choked. He knew he wanted to be closer to Luigi but hearing something like this from the man jostled him. He felt warm, warm like he always felt when he thought of Luigi, but it was more potent. A declaration like that usually has something that follows it, but he didn’t know what.

Unlike other times, when the blush came the flailing didn’t. Luigi pulled a stray strand of hair behind his ear and hugged his arms to his chest. Gooigi’s insides flipped when Luigi looked up at him, a smile curving his red cheeks.

“Um, I know you’ve never had a family, a-and if you did E. Gadd never told me! But… I want you to know that we—Polterpup and I—we’re your family now. And, um, this is your home.” He confessed, eyes shining and soul bright as the sun. Gooigi almost looked away.

Gooigi took Luigi’s hands and nodded his head, making the plumber’s smile bigger. The edges of his sweater tickled his membrane, and he felt the urge to slip his finger under the cloth to feel his warmth.

A bark from the living room shook them from their bubble. Luigi lazily looked out the door and then back to Gooigi.

“It’s not evening yet, but do you want to go for a walk?”

Gooigi nodded in agreement. In fact, in that moment, he would’ve said yes to whatever he was asked.


	16. Realization 2: Electric Boogaloo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated super quick this time, huh! I don't know why but I felt the need to bang this thing out in two days instead of two months, lol. I really like how I went about this chapter, got in some nice foreshadowing and fun things to come. Consider this an early Christmas present cause I'm not sure if I can bang another chapter out this month. Merry Christmas and I hope you enjoy :3

‘Walking Polterpup’ turned out more to be letting Polterpup run around the yard while the two watched. The dog sprinted up and down the property, phasing through trees and throwing himself to the ground to wallow in the scents and smells of the outdoors. It was entertaining to watch the pup move in such a large space, Gooigi was more used to his close quarters antics.

Luigi dawned a nice coat before they walked out the sliding glass door, offering Gooigi one as well which the blob denied. The cold was a welcoming sensation, along with the beautiful colors of fall. He didn’t have any real preferences to times of year but seeing Luigi all bundled up and cozy made him think Fall and Winter were his new favorites. As they walked outside and off the back porch, the grass crunched beneath his feet as the chill tried and failed to penetrate his goo.

“W-whew that’s cold.” Said Luigi. “It’s a good thing we went out now, I don’t know if I could’ve lasted more than a minute later tonight.”

He pulled the jacket closer to himself as he watched Polterpup sprint across the yard.

It was fairly big, probably a few acres, and had no discernable neighbors to be seen other than a few lights in the distance. Either way, the property was definitely large.

“This place used to be home to a mansion, that’s why there’s so much space.” Gooigi looked over, surprised his interest was noticed.

Luigi grimaced. “There used to be spooky trees and ravens _everywhere_, not a great place to live. And the ghosts, the ghosts were a definite downside.”

Gooigi tilted his head. This place must be the former location of Luigi and E.Gadd’s first meeting. He looked around, turning up his senses to find any lingering spectral whispers. He blocked out the bright blue and speedy white of Luigi and Polterpup’s souls as he searched.

Yes, he could feel it now, an underlying unease that has long since been brought to rest. He remembers seeing multiple ghosts that E. Gadd kept deep in storage that looked eerily like human beings. An infant was there as well. Their spirits must have been so enraged for one reason or another and their suffering immense for them to stick behind and actively attack people.

He frowned, King Boo was definitely the culprit, dragging their poor souls from their tentative rest and making them relive their sorrow. It was fortunate enough that Luigi arrived when he did to help put their souls to rest for good. The paintings E. Gadd kept in storage had slowly begun to fade and then completely disappear over time. The souls moving onto the afterlife like they should have from the beginning.

“I kind of wonder what E. Gadd did with those paintings he made. Seems disrespectful to trap those people away, but it was either that or being in the tank.” Luigi flinched. “N-not like there’s anything w-wrong with being in a tank. I m-mean, tanks are pretty nice! You know? And uhh…”

Gooigi let out a warbled laugh at Luigi’s stuttering, hunching over a little at how cute the man looked while he tried to save face.

“H-hey! Don’t laugh! I was trying to be nice!” He whined, cheeks red from both embarrassment and the wind.

Another sound came from Polterpup, it was a dog-like mimic of Gooigi’s laughter. The pup laughed as he rolled in the grass.

“Not you too…” He said, his pout slowly changing into a smile despite himself. “A-alright, it was funny, now let’s get back inside. I don’t have the benefit of not feeling the cold, you know.

He turned around whistling to call Polterpup. The dog immediately shot up from his position and began trotting to the back door. Gooigi followed behind and fell into step next to the pup.

They made their way back into the home and the warmth of domesticity overcame him. That or the fireplace. Either way, he was happy.

-

The days seemed to fly by but also slow to a crawl at the same time. He continued his research in the library, wanting to know more about human mating rituals in the event one ever went wrong. Luigi spent most of his time in his office while Gooigi was occupied. Since the two were only one wall away, the blob could hear when he cooed to Nia and when he was concentrating on typing something on his laptop.

Everyday before sunset, Gooigi and Polterpup would wait at Luigi’s office door until the man was done and then they would go for walks on the property. Luigi took him down paths that lead to manmade ponds and interesting flora that had escaped King Boo’s corruption. Every walk was a new experience and even when they passed by the same things, something new would be there to see. Gooigi noticed Luigi would walk closer to him when the wind would blow and there would be times he’d feel compelled to wrap an arm around the man. He would stop right before he did, his minds upset at his hesitance. But he knew, even with his membrane, that cool goo along Luigi’s neck wouldn’t help the man with his chill. Though later, when they’d gone back inside and the blob watched as the color rushed back to the plumbers cheeks and his fingers warm up with a cup of cocoa, his mood would brighten like the warmth of the hearth.

Like he’d said before, Luigi got in touch with a Toad at the royal library and found some books on sign language the Princess was more than happy to let them loan. It was an odd day when Luigi left the house for the first time only to come back with a mountain of books and DVD’s on the subject. Gooigi was excited to learn something other than anatomy and the two got to work.

The whole sign language thing came much easier to Gooigi than it did his counterpart. As much as he was a good ghost hunter, the man wasn’t that great with his fingers. They’d lock into weird angled when he tried to transition from one phrase or letter to another and his arms movements were stilted. Meanwhile, Gooigi worked well with the language flow. His body was perfect for moving between words, though he did have some trouble on movements that required sharp angles. Luigi would often pout, cheeks puffed out as he watched the blob perfectly execute what he had just failed.

It was hard for a fully grown human to learn something as complicated as a new language, especially one that used physical movement instead of words. So after a few lessons they both agreed Gooigi would be doing the bulk of the physical learning while Luigi would work on translation.

By the end of the week the blob could perfectly say his own name and ‘Thank You’ along with a few other small words and phrases.

Every time he would successfully speak with his plumber, every Thank You for dinner, every letter he signed of his friend’s name, was a spark of pride and sweet euphoria. He’d spent so long silent and at the whim of others reading his mannerisms. The only time he felt heard was in the old days, when he was still a ghost hunting tool and Luigi’s mind would shift in front of his own. He’d feel the panic and problem-solving churning away in his brain, but Luigi could also feel the blob’s own thoughts as well. The man’s curiosity gave him a chance to be his own person.

And every time the plumber successfully read his signs; he would get a big, goofy grin on his face. Gooigi suspected the man felt the same as he did.

Despite his best efforts, Luigi did end up looking more into what Gooigi was reading. He stammered when he read the sections bookmarked in the anatomy pages, then felt the need to try and give Gooigi something called ‘The Talk’. But that quickly devolved into more stammering.

“Ummmm, why don’t I just give you my computer and we can pretend this conversation never happened.” He’d rushed out before returning to his office to hide away.

Gooigi felt a little bad at embarrassing the man again despite his best efforts not to, but the concepts of human mating rituals had been on his mind a lot more than they should have lately. Besides, as long as Luigi didn’t know he’d snooped, everything would be fine.

He walked into the office to find Luigi furiously clicking away at the computer before standing up and motioning to the machine. Gooigi approached, sitting down in the nice office chair—which had a towel placed on the bottom—and opening a browser tab after a few seconds on searching. He was aware enough of computer, having been attached to some for the early stages of his life and seeing E. Gadd using it for his studies.

When he clicked on, he noticed a few bookmarks already present on the default page. A news page, some shopping websites, a carnivorous plant tending guide, and finally an odd looking tab that was labeled ‘private toys’, whatever that meant. He was about to investigate when Luigi squealed and grabbed the computer away from him.

“HOLD ON LET ME FIX THAT!”

Gooigi sat, stunned at the outburst. The man’s face was bright red and getting worse by the second. He turned the laptop back to the blob, apologizing, and then turning and leaving the room. When he checked the bookmarks again the suspicious tab was gone.

Deep down, Gooigi knew for a fact this had something to do with his research and that he’d be able to find the website no problem with the keywords his conscious retained the moment he laid eyes on them, but it was best in this case to let sleeping dogs lie. He found his way to the main page of Mikipedia and started his search from there.

The rabbit hole of information that was Mikipedia was vast and extremely enlightening. Without knowing it, he’d spent 2 hours reading about how the bones in a humans forearm wrapped around each other when the wrist was turned. And then another hour about why teeth weren’t technically bones. By the time he was anywhere close to his main topic, Luigi was calling him for dinner with Polterpup trying to drag the blob out of the chair with his ghostly canine teeth.

Luigi had long since calmed down but still blushed when he asked Gooigi how his research was going. The blob smiled, happy to tell the man about how fascinating his body was, but that only seemed to make the blush worsen. It could have been that _or_ the fact that he caught a piece of meat with his still long, forked tongue. It shot out of his faux mouth and coiled around the hunk of beef that’d fallen from his fork. From there he rolled the tongue back into his mouth and shut his lips around it, the appendage licking over his lips to catch any extra food he’d missed.

One part of him wanted to stay true to his humanoid body and make his tongue anatomically correct, but another, deeper part liked it the way it was. The same part also purring in delight when his claws slipped out when he was startled.

Weirdly enough the next morning, when he returned to the office to continue his research and checked the history to find his stopping place, he found that at some point that ‘toy’ website had been used a few times.

Hmmm…

Well, it was none of his business.

-

Luigi had been acting… weird for a few days.

It was hard to pinpoint when it started, but he’d have to say around the time Gooigi began his research on the man’s laptop.

The fidgeting, the blushing, and for some reason constantly checking his phone and the mailbox. It was starting to feel familiar, like the time before Gooigi found him… in an intimate position.

He had a name for it now. Masturbation. Sort of practice mating that humans did often starting as early as their time in the womb. Humans, unlike most mammals, didn’t having a season so this was their solution to not finding a mate instead of just waiting another year. Somehow putting a name to the action made Gooigi more flustered to think about it. When it was foreign in his mind, he could explain it away and remove the sexual connotations from it, but now…

Gooigi sighed, leaning onto his fist as he laid sideways on the couch.

Now he had more reason _not_ to keep pursuing the issue.

But despite this, despite all the evidence he should take his answers now and stop obsessing with Luigi’s mastur- _practice mating_, the part of him that purred in satisfaction at watching his friend come to completion in his own nest demanded he keep going.

It made him shiver, the need to know more. Sure he was always happy to learn new things, but this was much different. Physically, he should have no care in the world for the trivialities of sex and reproduction. He was a hybrid, a mix between corporeal and incorporeal, a creation made from long inactive ghost energy and coffee, and it was fairly common knowledge most, if not all hybrids, did not reproduce.

For once in his life he felt compelled to try and ask E. Gadd to find out what was wrong with him. But his tank spin cycle checks have all been normal, his appetite the same, and his abilities to switch between his human visage and a puddle. The only difference he noticed was how less reliant he was on the chip the professor planted in his goo. It was no longer a herculean chore to try and stay on two feet. He found that doing things like opening doors became easier with his new strength and stronger membrane. Sometimes he’d even purposely deactivate the piece of metal just to test his limits. He stopped doing that fairly quickly when E. Gadd called Luigi in a panic at why his creation was losing signal so frequently.

He sat up, grabbing a teacup from the table and sticking his hand inside. When Luigi wasn’t around, he reverted back to his old eating habits. The cooled liquid absorbed into his body leaving behind not a single drop in the now empty cup. Efficient, his minds supplied.

It was getting late in the day and Luigi had been in his office for most of it. He seemed busy considering all the shuffling of papers and boxes coming from the room. Earlier, Gooigi noticed a brown, cardboard box with a built-in handle sitting on the desk along with a plant pot the same diameter as the inside of said box. Nia was out on the table instead of on the windowsill. The man had ushered him out when he came inside, saying he was going to be using the office all day and that he could use the computer later. Then he apologized and brought Gooigi a tray of snacks and drinks to tide him over.

Gooigi huffed, it was a bit demoralizing how easily the food distracted him. He was starting to feel like Polterpup with his rawhide bones. Perhaps humans assumed all spectral beings could be swayed with simple gifts…

‘He was right’, the blob thought as he lifted a cookie from the tray.

Still, the spread he was given was quite a lot. Luigi and Mario must have come from homes of abundance; humans often took after the quirks of their parents. It was a good thing Gooigi couldn’t get fat… he thinks, but it’s a good assumption considering how much energy his consciousness requires to maintain his form.

In his own self-reflection, he barely noticed when the evening news came on. The Toads he’d become accustomed to seeing popped on screen, both had worried looks across their small faces.

_“In this evenings news, the Warehouse Wraith, as they’ve been dubbed, has struck again. Last week a simple storage warehouse and now a well-known refinery. Large pieces of equipment along with rebar, skeleton construction beams, and cinderblocks were taken from the site and from surrounding construction areas.”_

The toad flipped over his paper, a visible chill going up his spine.

_“Some other businesses have been pilfered from, notably craft stores. The Wraith is never seen and seems to bypass locked doors and gates. Despite this, the Royal Court has released a message to all businesses to make sure their doors are properly secured, and all staff have left their positions before 10:30 at the latest.”_

_“Oh my! How terrifying, I wonder if its Bowser again.”_ The other news Toad commented.

_“No, no, King Koopa is still in his villain hiatus. Which brings us to our next piece of news!”_ The Toad yelled, trying to move away from the topic before. _“Our illustrious Mario was seen dining with the big bad Koopa himself this last weekend. Is a peace treaty on the horizon? For that we move to our on-scene reporter, Toad. What do you think, Toad?”_

_“Well Toad, its hard to say, but-“_

Gooigi glowered.

Warehouse Wraith? Someone was stealing building supplies from warehouses and never seem to be on cameras. It was a given, but this seemed to be the work of a ghost.

He stood, walking around the table and grabbing the empty tray. Making his way to the kitchen, his minds wandered.

Could it be him? No, E. Gadd would have called Luigi in a panic if it was. The man was still reeling from Helen Gravely’s trick to get him into the hotel, the blob highly doubts he’d fall for another one so quick. And if it was King Boo, he wouldn’t be so sloppy. The ghost was able to concoct the most complex plans with no one, not even the Kingdom’s greatest heroes knowing. This was the work of someone small time, someone not worth the trouble of calling Luigi.

Yeah, that sounds about right. Another ghost hunter is going to take care of it soon since the Wraith’s MO is right in the nickname they gave him.

He set the tray down and started working on the dishes. Gooigi was always antsy to help his friend when it came to chores. He felt bad about being unable to do things like washing dishes, doing laundry, or mopping floors with his hydrophobia. Luigi caught on quick enough and bought the blob his own pair of rubber gloves. They sat by the sink for when Luigi was too busy to do the dishes right away.

He slipped them on, pushing his goo into the fingers. Scrubbing at the crumbs and reaching into the nooks of the cup was soothing. Cleaning wasn’t something he was expected to do before, but the act was so calming. Repetitive motions wiped the mind of unwanted thoughts.

Luigi walked in later, box closed with small peeping noises coming from inside.

“You didn’t have to do that; I would’ve cleared the table later.” He pouted. “B-but thank you anyway. I’m going to drop Nia at home, today was her last day.”

The man opened the box and Nia’s little Piranha Plant head popped out. She chirped and hissed an oddly aggressive greeting to the blob and looked around the room. Luigi took his coat off the rack near the door and slipped it on, his body dwarfed by the warm fabric.

“It won’t be long, Petey picked a place close by to meet.” He said as he packed Nia back up.

“Don’t destroy the house while I’m gone!”

The door shut behind him, leaving Gooigi along once more.

He turned back to his work, finishing up quickly and placing his gloves back on their space. Gooigi looked up at the clock in the kitchen. Hmmm, it was nearing walk time and Luigi was gone. It wouldn’t be so bad to go without him, its not like the two would get lost.

He called Polterpup’s name in his warbling voice and the dog appeared in an instant. Sometimes it helped to mimic Luigi’s voice instead of trying to sign, but it was hard for some people to understand his words. It was no trouble to Polterpup though; he always knew when he was called even if Gooigi’s voice was nothing like his master’s. He ushered the dog outside and left the sliding door open a crack. While he was getting better at opening doors, he didn’t want to risk it.

The walk only lasted a few minutes without Luigi there to rile the pup up into expending more energy. Gooigi homed in on the dog’s left behind residue from his sprinting and chuckled at how glowing white the backyard was. It looked like a beacon.

As they made their way inside and Gooigi shut and locked the door behind him, there was a quick two knocks on the front door.

Immediately, Polterpup began barking and sprinted at the noise. Phasing through the door and scaring the person outside so hard they screamed. The blob raced to the door and barely was able to open it as a square vehicle shot down the road with the dog chasing after it.

Gooigi stared at the retreating vehicle, unsure of what it was doing there. That was, until he looked down and saw and inconspicuous box at the doorstep. He picked it up and examined the label. He clearly saw Luigi’s mailing address printed, but the sender was completely ruined by Polterpup’s slobber. He shrugged, bringing the mail inside and shutting the door. The dog didn’t take long before he returned to the home, slipping in from the mail slot instead of walking through the door.

The blob took the box over to the Livingroom and placed on the table. It was a small, square box with no extra bells and whistles to tell him where it came from. Since the label was ruined, he’d have to guess where it came from. He wracked his brain, trying to think of what it could be when it came to him.

This must be from E. Gadd!

During his last scan, his tank alerted them to an air filter issue which attached itself to the report sent to the professor. The box must contain the replacement filter for his tank.

He stood up and took the box to his room before setting it on the floor. Gooigi knelt on the wood floors and situated himself near the panel with the filter. But before he would take it off, he wanted to make sure the filter was intact. Lest he open something up without the proper equipment in place.

Gooigi lifted his hand and flexed the index finger into a sharpened point. A small rush traveled through him as he bent down and precisely cut the tape holding the box closed. It split perfectly in two and Gooigi opened it up. Inside was a rectangular, black box with some text on the sides. It has a picture of something slightly obscured by the packing peanuts around it.

All he knew for sure was this wasn’t the fan filter.

Carefully, he picked the box up from the peanuts and examined it. It was sleek and waxy, like it was packed right off the shelves. The text read something about ‘long lasting’ and ‘five settings’ with flashy color around the white letters. He turned the box over and got a look at the preview. It was… a rod…_thing _with a plastic handle while the rest was rubbery. The tip of it was blunt with an odd ridge around the head. On the plastic part looked to be a lever of sorts you’d slide upwards in order to use the ‘five setting’ it displayed on the box.

He put the box down and thought for a moment.

Was… was this what Luigi’s been checking the mail for all week? This plastic thing. It looked cheap, kind of like a- like a…. _like a toy_.

Gooigi dropped the box like it stung him. His stomach twisted in realization and he frantically began packing away the toy as fast as possible.

He’d done it again.

_He’d done it again!_

The blob didn’t know how it was happening, but he just kept seeing things he shouldn’t. He kept intruding on Luigi’s privacy and he didn’t even mean it!

He looked down and saw he was tearing the packing peanuts apart with his claws and he pulled back. The sharp ends must have come out from his surprise. He shook his hands, trying to dismiss them, but they wouldn’t go. Then, a thought from deep inside came to the surface.

_What if he wanted you to see?_

Gooigi gasped, his claws flexing in response.

For a moment he followed that thought. What if Luigi wanted him to witness those moments, what if it was part of his courtship. He was inviting the blob to participate. Those looks, the touches, the desire hidden behind simple words. The primal part of him _purred._

He slammed his hands onto the floor, forcing the claws back inside.

No, Luigi didn’t know he’d seen. Luigi didn’t know he found his package. Luigi wasn’t playing convoluted mind games like some weird courtship ritual. The past few incidents were just that, incidents. That no one preplanned or knew about. Luigi wasn’t courting him, he was simply doing what humans did and he saw by accident.

Luigi wasn’t courting him.

_But don’t you want to court him?_

He froze. Minds stopping their hurried whispers.

Did… did he want to court the plumber?

Why?

Why would he want to? There’s nothing to gain.

He’s a hybrid, he doesn’t have those desires. He’s a ghost, he doesn’t have those desires. He’s not human, he doesn’t have those desires.

Yet he desires to be around Luigi.

He desires the company, the touches, the smiles, the moments together.

But did he desire intimacy?

Was he capable of providing intimacy?

There was so much he didn’t know about himself, is that why he was so desperate to learn about how the humans did it? To try and emulate them like he always did?

He looked down, his fingers still normal.

It was a great question.

Did he really feel these things or was he trying to become more human?

…

No.

He did feel some things for sure.

He wanted Luigi to be safe, to be happy. He felt at peace around the man and loved every moment they had. He was soft, he needed to be protected. Gooigi could do that. He was expendable that way. But Luigi didn’t like it when he was expendable, so he changed and became useful. But Luigi didn’t like that either, so he became his own. His feelings around the man were complex and strong.

Gooigi wanted to touch him and care for him and… and love him. That much was obvious.

But did he want to be more?

Gooigi held onto that question but turned back to the task at hand. He packed away the toy and resealed the shipping box as well as he could. His claws cut cleanly so putting the tape back together wasn’t too much trouble. Hopefully, the plumber wouldn’t notice.

He went back to the Livingroom and put the box on the table like before and sat on the couch. The noise from the TV was drowned out by his thoughts.

Being what he was was much harder than he anticipated. It was so easy-going day to day as a tool that just ate and slept. There was nothing else like him. Nothing to base his feelings on. So, he attached himself to the human standard and went from there. His time with Luigi was ruffling his feathers and making him questions things he wasn’t used to.

After his little freak out, the need to know more became stronger and stronger. If he _was_ interested in courting Luigi, he needed to know he could provide all that was necessary to do that. He knew his feelings were genuine, but not as strong as the feelings of radio drama star Carmen for her lover Richardson.

The courting part he could figure out on his own.

Whether or not he could satisfy was another.

“Polterpup! Gooigi! I’m home!”

Startled, Gooigi flinched at the feeling of his own claws stabbing into his leg.

“Hi, I hope things weren’t too boring while I was gone.” Said the plumber as he came into the room.

‘_No, not boring at all_.’ He signed, hoping the man didn’t notice the gaping holes in his legs.


End file.
